Fall to Passion
by AnakinCaffrey
Summary: Everything was perfect for the young Jedi Knight until he loses the one he loves. After failing to save her, he seeks the comfort of his young companion. One thing leads to another from that point on. Spans RotS. [DISCONTINUED]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
>This story was created for and dedicated to Master Fang as an early birthday present. :D Enjoy!<strong>

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Ever since he got back from rescuing the Chancellor, he's been sneaking around all the time. My Master, Anakin Skywalker, was _sneaking _around the Council, trying to avoid something. He didn't seem to think that I'd figured anything out, but I had.

I'd pretended to be sleeping one night after we'd argued about several of our past missions. I remember hearing him go into the refresher and take a quick shower. One of my eyes was partially open, watching for him to come out. Luckily, he'd pulled a towel around his waist. I internally sighed at that, knowing that I wouldn't want to see him unclothed. Tonight I was going to follow him.

He grabbed his clothes from his dresser, sighing as he walked back into the refresher. I wondered what was wrong that would make him sigh like that. We haven't had very many missions lately, so it couldn't be that. Maybe it was me?

He came back out, fully clothed, and walked directly out of the dorm. He hadn't even grabbed his lightsaber. As soon as I felt him getting further away from the door, I jumped off of my bed. I grabbed our lightsabers from the nightstand, just in case. He might not believe he's in danger, but if he was, I'd be there to save him.

I crept out into the hallway slowly, seeing him at the far end of the hall. He was glancing around cautiously, which concerned me. What could he possibly be doing that required this much secrecy? I felt another presence coming closer to my Master, but he slammed himself against a wall. I hid down another hallway. After the presence disappeared, I poked my head out to see him doing the same. I chuckled quietly to myself, covering my mouth.

He ran a hand through his hair and began to walk as silently and sneakily as possible. I mimicked his movements, feeling that maybe I could pull this off.

After several minutes, we reached the outer temple stairs. He walked down them, pulling his hood over his head. I rolled my eyes as he walked toward his speeder. He jumped in and began to prepare for flight. Great, I hadn't even thought about that.

I pulled out a tracking device and levitated it toward his speeder when he wasn't looking. Lucky for me, he was extremely busy. I placed it on the back and crept into the shadows heading toward the area where we kept extra speeders.

I turned around to see him fly off into the dark Coruscant sky. I ran to a speeder that I could easily wire. My Master had taught me how to do that, among many other things concerning vehicles and such. I put the tracer on the dashboard and flew toward his beeping, red dot. I flew through the busy traffic of the city, navigating through it easily, but getting yelled at by many people in their native tongue.

I followed him to the familiar Senate building. I wondered why he was here. I shrugged and landed the speeder. Accidentally, I had landed right beside his. Luckily, he wasn't in it. I saw him walking into the building, so I jumped out and silently followed him.

He pulled the same maneuver as he had in the temple, searching for anyone that might stop him from reaching his destination. He pulled his hood down as he continued down various hallways and up many stairways. I kept my distance, but I could still see him. I was surprised that he hadn't sensed me and caught me right on the spot yet. What was troubling him?

He reached a door to a room that I knew all too well. This was Senator Amidala's apartment. I stood in a hallway, waiting for him to continue. He knocked on the door and waited impatiently for it to slide open. I could feel his anxiety increasing until the door finally opened. Senator Amidala herself appeared in the doorway and smiled up at him. She was dressed in a blue nightgown, her hair hanging down behind her.

"Ani," she whispered, pulling him in for a tight embrace. He returned it and kissed her hair. I felt a bit of jealousy welling up inside of me as I watched the scene not too far in front of me. His hands moved to touch her stomach, which seemed a little _bigger_ than the last time I'd visited her. Of course that had been a few months ago…

"Padme, how are you feeling?"

She smiled wider. "So much better now that you're with me. Come inside," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. She pulled him in and he willingly followed. I knew that the two of them were pretty close, but I wondered how _close _they really were.

Once I was sure that they were away from the door, I walked closer to it, pressing my montrals against it. I listened closely to what they were saying. I heard kissing and three word whispers. I covered my mouth as a quiet gasp escaped my mouth.

My Master had disobeyed the Code. He had formed an attachment to the Senator. What hurt the most was that he hadn't even trusted me enough to tell me himself. I had to find out by following him here…

I thought about crying, but I figured that it wasn't appropriate. I should have known that something like this was going to happen. For the last three years, I believed that something might have been going on between those two, but Master Kenobi had always warned him about these feelings.

My Master never had to warn me because I'd never felt close to anyone. I've felt jealousy, knowing that I'm not supposed to. He's my Master and she's my friend. I can't destroy them by going to the Council.

I sighed and pulled away from the door, quietly walking back the way I'd come. I jumped into my speeder and went back to the temple, falling asleep this time.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Padme took my hand, passing a small table on our way to the balcony. This was our nightly ritual when I'd come to see her. She would take a brush and run it through her hair while we talked. We never fought anymore now that we were together. We both loved each other without any second thought.

"This baby will be beautiful," she whispered, gazing out across the Coruscant traffic. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, nor could I remove my smile. "We can raise it on Naboo. We can live in the lake house, Ani. It'll be beautiful." She turned around to smile at me. "We'll have plenty of time to decorate the room."

"You're beautiful," I whispered.

She smiled wider, tilting her head slightly. "It's only because I'm so in love with you."

I smirked and shook my head slightly. "You're just naturally beautiful. You've always been that way."

She laughed, resulting in a small chuckle from me. "Oh, Ani."

She brushed her hair a few more times before setting it down on the ledge. She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I rested my one hand on her lower back, the other in her hair. "I love you, Padme, and I love our child just as much."

She pulled away from me slowly, taking my mechanical hand in hers and leading me to the low couch that we'd always sit on together. I sat down first, pulling her into my lap. I rested one hand on her stomach, rubbing it slowly. "I'm considering giving up my life as a Jedi."

"Why?"

"So I can be with you."

"Ani," she whispered loudly, pulling away from me. "I can't let you do that. You love being a Jedi. I won't allow you to trade that in for me. You always tell me your dreams about becoming a Master; I won't take that away from you."

"But what about the baby? It's going to need me, too, Padme."

"Don't worry, Ani. You'll get to spend as much time as you possibly can with it when it's here. We've got less than two months before it comes. I want to be surprised about the gender though, as long as that's okay with you."

I smiled at her, pulling her against my chest. "This baby is going to be my first priority. I'm fine with keeping the gender a surprise. That will make the moment it arrives so much more special."

She smiled against me and opened her eyes briefly to glance out into the darkness of the city. "It's getting late and you have to be up early. Let's go to bed."

I nodded, lifting her up in my arms bridal style. She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. She kissed my cheek as I placed her onto her side of the bed. I covered her up and moved towards my side. I removed my shirt and crawled in beside her. She scooted closer to me and grabbed my hand, holding it between us. I stared into her eyes and smiled. "Good night, beautiful."

"Good night, Ani," she whispered, closing her eyes. I kissed her forehead once before laying back against the pillows. It took a while for me to fall asleep. I listened to her breathing, looking for some pattern. I moved my fingers around between hers, feeling her skin. I carefully brought her hand closer to my face and softly kissed it.

I finally closed my eyes and relaxed. After a few minutes, swirls clouded my vision. I heard screaming and the cries of a baby. Padme's face appeared in the center of the swirls, pain crossing her expression. "_Anakin, help me!_" she cried out.

The cries of the baby continued and Padme's screaming was nonstop. After a few minutes of watching her torture in my nightmare, her head slowly dropped to the side. The screaming had stopped.

The swirls recalled themselves and I jerked into an upright position. I glanced around for a time, seeing that an hour had passed by. My breathing was unsteady and uncontrollable. I looked beside me to see Padme alive and well at the moment. What if that was a premonition?

I sighed, my chest still heaving from the shock of the nightmare. I pulled the blanket away from my body and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I placed my elbows on my knees and my head in between my hands for a moment, trying to control my breathing. Once I was sure that I wouldn't have any problem, I stood up and grabbed my shirt, pulling it on as I walked out of the room and down the stairway.

I entered the living room of her apartment, sitting on the edge of the couch, staring out across the balcony. The traffic outside was still heavy, but distant. I couldn't hear any of it, nor did I wish to.

After a few minutes, I felt Padme's presence coming closer to me. The lights around the room began to turn on slowly. I turned to look at her, not smiling. She looked just as sad as I did. "What's wrong?"

I sighed and stared into her eyes. "I had a nightmare."

"Was it bad?"

My eyes tore away from hers and stared at the floor. I was nervous about telling her that she would most likely end up dying in childbirth. I didn't even know if it was going to happen. "Anakin, don't shut me out. Talk to me."

"It was about you," I whispered. "You die in childbirth."

I glanced up at her, tears beginning to fall down my face. She stood there in horror for a moment. "What about the baby?"

"I could hear its cries, but I… I don't know…"

"It was probably just a dream, Ani. Don't let it get to you. I was told that I was extremely healthy and so is the baby."

I stood up from my position and pulled her against my chest, resting my head on the top of hers. I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "I'm not going to let it become real."


	2. Chapter 2

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up to the sound of the dorm's door sliding open and the heavy footsteps of my Master's worn out boots. His step didn't sound all that confident today.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes as he was about to walk passed me. He looked exhausted. "Morning, Master."

He jumped a little before slowly turning to face me. He smiled weakly, nodding as he came closer to me. He sat on the end of my bed. "Good morning, Snips."

"You don't look all that well, Master. Are you okay?"

Seeing him this down made me rethink the conversation I had planned to have with him today. I couldn't tell him just yet that I had followed him and discovered his biggest secret.

He glanced down at the floor for a second, frowning, before his eyes met my concerned ones. The fake smile plastered onto his face once again. "I'm fine. Don't worry, Snips."

I always got this response and I'd learned how to properly translate his phrases. I've known him for almost three years. I was bound to understand him someday.

'_I'm fine_' means that something is really getting to him. He would have told me that he was all right if it were something small. '_Don't worry, Snips_' translates into 'You should be concerned, but I don't want you to show it.'

His eyes looked like a duller shade of blue. It was almost like they were lifeless. I leaned toward him, placing my hand on top of his. He stared at our hands, his eyebrow raising a little. "I'm always here for you to talk to, Master. We're open enough with each other now."

He'd spoken to me about his past: the slavery, his trainings, and the loss of his mother. I thought back to when I'd become his Padawan. We were transporting Rotta, Jabba the Hutt's son, across the sandy planet of Tatooine. He was carrying Rotta on his back while I followed behind him. I'd tried to get some information out of him, but part of what he'd replied with was, "_It was Master Skywalker who said 'I don't want to talk about my past.'"_

I remember being the fourteen year old that was determined to get inside his head. I'd tried so hard to get him to tell me bits and pieces, but he wouldn't say anything. And to think that I'd almost given up on it last year.

We were on the _Twilight _after he'd picked me up. I'd… run away for a while, actually making it off of Coruscant. I'd only been gone for a week, but I'd missed him. I knew that arguing with him was a lost cause and I'd crossed my line of patience.

I felt sick thinking about how disappointed he was going to be. His mood swing had really hurt me that day, causing my small distance from him. After a week, I'd found a holoprojector lying around on the ground, so I connected to his channel and contacted him.

I remember seeing his worn out and saddened expression. His words were so frantic and rushed as he apologized and tried to figure out where I was. It was almost like he thought he'd lost me. His smile had been so _real _and his eyes had been a bit watery.

Once he'd arrived, he ran right off of the landing ramp and pulled me into an extremely tight embrace. I loved feeling his warmth so close to me and the feeling he'd sent surging through me when his hand rested on my rear lek. He took his time, not wanting to let go. Once we were on the ship, he'd explained to me that the day of our argument had been the anniversary of his mother's death. I'll always remember that as the day that I'd learned about the _real _Anakin Skywalker.

"I know that. Thank you, Ahsoka," he whispered, bringing me back into reality.

His hand flipped over and closed around mine. He squeezed my hand before laughing. I tried to meet his eyes, but he kept looking away. "Master."

"Yes?"

"I can tell that something's wrong."

He stared into my eyes, allowing me to search their faint ocean. "I have to talk with Master Yoda a little later. I'm kind of… nervous."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"I want to ask him about a dream I had. I want to know what it means."

"Do you think it was a premonition?"

He nodded slowly, his frown deepening. He cast his eyes down onto our hands that were still together. "Was it… _bad?_"

Slowly, his eyes closed. I watched the blue mist fade away. "Yes."

I removed the blanket from my lower body and crawled over to him. I pulled him against my chest for support. He must have had a premonition concerning Padme. Judging by his expression, the only terrible thing that I could see coming to our mutual friend was _death._

"All right," he laughed. I watched as he slowly pulled away and sat up. "Let's get some training in before I have to meet Yoda."

I nodded. "Maybe that will take your mind off of things."

He half smiled, patting my leg as he stood up. I heard him mutter, "Probably not."

He walked out of the dorm. I sighed, plopping back down onto my pillows for a brief moment before rolling over to grab my lightsaber from the nightstand. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and ran after him to catch up.

My footsteps were silent as I caught up to him. I could definitely see that he wasn't at all himself today. He didn't square his shoulders with his usual pride and confidence; instead they were slumping a bit.

I stared up at his face, becoming saddened. My expression mirrored his because I felt horrible. He was going through something and he was closing himself up from me. It made me want to cry.

He truly was _miserable._

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was completely off of my game today. Usually I would get upset with Ahsoka when she'd start to overpower me in a lightsaber duel, but today I just collapsed under her small amount of pressure. She'd press her training lightsaber onto mine and I couldn't hold my ground.

I stood up and threw the training saber across the room. I closed my eyes and heard it hit the wall and then the floor. It shook a little before finally lying still.

I felt Ahsoka's small hand rest on my shoulder. "Master, do you want to take a break?"

I've got myself all worked up about the dream I'd had last night. For all I know, it might have just been a nightmare. I haven't seen a reason for Padme to die in child birth anyway. She's extremely healthy…

"No," I gasped, breathing heavily. "I'm fine."

"No, you aren't," she said angrily.

I glanced down at her and glared. "Ahsoka, how would you know –?"

"I know you! I know when something's wrong with you, when you aren't feeling well, when you're just distracted. Right now, you're a combination of all three. How am I supposed to train properly if my instructor isn't all right?"

She sighed as I kept silent. She could definitely see into me because I'd opened myself up to her. I trusted her more than anyone, possibly even Padme. Maybe I should tell her about my marriage?

I internally sighed, deciding not to tell her. She looked up to me. I had to set an example as her Master, make her into the Jedi she wants to become.

"Master," she whispered. "I'm worried about you. I have a very bad feeling about you in general and I don't know why."

I stared at her, confusion spreading across my expression. "You have a bad feeling about _me?_"

She nodded slowly, her eyes displaying a little bit of fear. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I'm just… not myself, as you already know. I'll try to focus."

"And get yourself injured in the process?" She shook her head and crossed her arms. "No, you're going to rest. Go lie down for a while so you're rested up before you have to speak with Master Yoda."

"Just…" I sighed. "Give me a few more minutes of your time in here so I can work off some stress. Is that okay, Snips?"

She rolled her eyes and frowned. "Master…"

"I'm going to be fine. You're here with me, so if anything happens, you're very responsible."

"That doesn't make me want to do this," she laughed. "Every time you've gotten injured in the past, I let my guard down. I wanted _you _to survive. You're my Master and my closest friend."

"We're using training sabers," I chuckled, pulling the one I'd thrown back to me. "It's not like you're going to kill me. Sure, I might get a little bruise here and there just from your cheating, but –"

"I do not cheat!"

"Yes, you do, Snips. We're using sabers and you hit my hand every time. How is that _not _cheating?"

She laughed and charged at me, knocking me onto my back. The saber flew out of my hand and rolled across the floor. Ahsoka's training saber was jabbing itself into my gut, but she was enjoying herself. She giggled as her fingers assaulted my sides. I heard my laughter and actually liked it. I'd hardly had a chance to laugh lately because I'd been so stressed.

"Awe," she laughed, finally stopping her attack. "You're crying."

I could tell that she was mocking me and my vision was a little blurred because of the amount of Force she put into her hands. I pulled mine up to my face and wiped my eyes. I laughed again, smiling up at her. "It's your fault."

She pulled back and sat on my legs. She leaned back and rested her hands on my knees. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at her. "Well, that was fun."

Her eyes met mine and lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Just promise me that you won't do it again for a while because I need to recover."

She smacked my leg and nodded. "You're such an old man."

"Of course I am, but at least I'm not as old as Obi-Wan. He's ancient."

"Speaking of ancient…" she paused. "When is your meeting with Master Yoda?"

"I'll probably go talk to him in an hour or so. After we're done in here, I need to take a shower. Also, I don't think it's very respectful to consider him as ancient."

"But you said that Master Kenobi –"

"Because I can make fun of him. Master Yoda deserves much more respect, especially from a youngling."

"I'm seventeen," she sighed. "Do I really deserve the title _youngling _at this age?"

"You're my youngling."

"No," she smirked. "I'm your _Padawan._ There's a difference. Younglings are inexperienced while a Padawan has been training with their Master."

"Whatever you say."

She laughed and got off of my legs, standing up. "How much more do you want to train, Master?"

I pulled my knees up to my chest, hearing them crack a bit. "Ouch," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

I smirked. "You're fine. Just help me up," I said, extending my hand up towards her. With both hands clasped around mine, she pulled me up from the floor. I dusted myself off, glancing at her for a brief moment to see her rolling her eyes.

"I have an image to maintain, Snips."

"Go hit the shower. I'm going to practice a little more."

"What level are you going to practice on?"

She smirked. "_Your _level."

She darted across the room, grabbing her lightsaber. My eyebrow rose as I sensed a challenge coming on. I pulled my lightsaber to me from my position, watching her run back to me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to train a bit and make fun of you."

Her eye marking rose as she laughed. "You won't last five minutes with the way you're feeling."

"Oh?" I taunted. "_Watch me._"

I began the simulation of droid attackers, setting it to a higher level, or my level, as Ahsoka called it. She'd always been beneath mine, so I wanted to see what she could do. I charged into the center of the room, standing beside her.

"They come at all angles," I whispered. She pressed her partially bare back against mine and turned her head a little to glance at me over her shoulder.

"I've got your back, Master, as always."


	3. Chapter 3

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"I knew that was a terrible idea, Master."

"Just get me back to the dorm, Snips," he laughed. His arm was draped over my shoulder and he was limping. Every single time he got distracted, he'd get blasted in the side or the leg. Eventually, he just collapsed onto the ground.

I dragged him from the training room all the way back to the dorm. The door slid open upon our arrival and I walked him over to his bed. He groaned a little as I turned us both around. I backed up and plopped us both down on it. He moved his arm off of me and fell onto his back.

I turned to watch him close his eyes and breathe heavily. "Is there anything I can get you, Master?"

"If you could bring the shower out here, then I'd be extremely grateful."

I chuckled and so did he. I got off of the bed and walked into the refresher. I grabbed the hose and turned the faucet so the water began to pour. Once the water began to come out of the nozzle, I laughed. I walked into the doorway and began to spray him.

He lurched into a sitting position, covering his face. "Ahsoka!"

He managed to get himself off of the bed and walk closer to me. I kept spraying him, laughing all the while. I heard him laughing through the water's spray. I felt his arms wrap around me and drag me back into the refresher. He grabbed the hose and began to spray me, drenching me as well. We both laughed uncontrollably until I slipped on the puddle on the floor. I fell down, pulling him with me.

His chest was on top of mine, both of us were breathing quickly. His smile and laugh made me extremely happy. "Well, I guess we've both taken our shower."

I laughed. "I think you still need to take one. Get in, finish, and get dressed. I'll wait for you to come out before I clean up the mess in here."

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "I made this mess just as much as you did. I'll help you when I'm done."

He pushed himself off of me and stood. His hand outstretched towards me and I gratefully grabbed it. Once I was standing in front of him, his hand rested on the side of my waist. I stared at his hand for a moment until he pulled it back. I moved my eyes to meet his, seeing an apologetic expression. I shook my head and hugged him lightly. "Relax for a little while, Master. If you need to take your time, I can tell Master Yoda that you'll be in a little later."

His apologetic expression vanished into relief. "Thanks, Ahsoka. Just give me five minutes, all right?"

I nodded and released him. He seemed a little reluctant to let me go, but he eventually did. I smiled once more before walking out of the room. I went back into the bedroom area and grabbed some dry clothes from my dresser. It was exactly the same as the one I was currently wearing. I looked at my drawer, seeing my old outfit. In a way, I was glad that I'd changed out of the tube top, skirt, and leggings. I liked the outfit I'd gotten recently. It suited me more and covered more of my skin. Master Skywalker always got a little uncomfortable around me because of the outfit, but he'd always tell the clones to divert their attention away from my body. In a way, he was like my big brother, but I felt more for him than a family relation. Sometimes I'd even wished that he would realize my deep attachment to him.

I changed out of my wet clothes quickly, tossing them into the bin that Anakin brought in for me. He didn't think that sharing a clothes bin was a good idea because I wore certain things that he didn't exactly want to see. I laughed, thinking back to the conversation we'd had that day almost a year ago. That was such an embarrassing situation, but I realized now that he'd been worried about me. He gave me _the talk_.

Once I was dressed in my dry clothes, I laid down on my bed. I heard the water running in the refresher and possibly my Master's humming. I decided to be a little helpful and grab his extra set of clothes from his dresser and set them on the counter in the refresher. His bed was soaked, so I couldn't put them there.

I walked over to his dresser, opening the wrong drawer. I found several things that shouldn't have been there. Sure, I already knew about his marriage, but I kind of expected him to be wearing his wedding ring. It was placed next to a necklace that still had a price tag on it.

I touched the necklace, feeling the jewels embedded into it. I heard the water shut off and I quickly closed the drawer. I opened the next one, finding his clothes. I pulled out everything that he would need and I stood outside of the door. There was no use walking in on him if he was already finished. I'd originally planned on walking in before he was done, but I'd gotten too distracted by the ring and necklace.

He came out and practically jumped. His hand reached down toward the towel around his waist, holding it tighter against him. "Geez, Ahsoka."

I rolled my eyes and held his clothes out for him. He stared at them, glancing over at his dresser for a brief moment. "I thought I could help you, Master."

"Uh…" he trailed off. "Thanks, Snips. I appreciate it."

He smiled and took the clothes, backing up into the refresher again. Once he was done, he told me I could come in. Together, we began to towel dry the water on the floor. It took twenty minutes to do and then he told me to take everything to the drying room, including his bedding. I sighed and nodded.

He was heading out to see Master Yoda now. The last thing I heard from him was a quiet laugh.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I walked into Master Yoda's personal quarters, knocking on the door. I heard him tell me to enter and so I did. I walked in to see the light from outside barely shining through the blinds. He must have been meditating before I interrupted.

"Ah, young Skywalker," he greeted. "What brings you here?"

"I… believe I've experienced another premonition."

He made one of his thoughtful sounds before motioning for me to take a seat across from him. I sat on the circular seat, facing him. His entire body sat in the middle of his seat, while my legs and robes draped over the edge and onto the floor.

"Premonitions, premonitions, hm," he paused for a moment. "These visions, you have?"

His question asked me to tell him more of my dream. I stared at him, trying not to express my sadness. "They're of pain, suffering…" I trailed off. "_Death._"

"Yourself, you speak of? Or someone you know?" he asked, trying to get further information from me with a very calming voice.

I gulped, thinking of the right words to say. "Someone."

"Close to you?"

I bowed my head, fearing the trouble I might possibly get into for my answer. "Yes."

"Careful, you must be, when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side."

I raised my head, staring into his eyes. He stared at me with much more seriousness. "I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda."

"Death," he paused. "Is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is."

What he was saying made little sense to me, especially in his backwards speak, but I knew he was speaking very wisely. He was essentially telling me to be careful about my feelings, but I didn't know how to do that. I loved Padme and I couldn't just allow her to become one with the Force so soon. "What must I do, Master Yoda?"

"Train yourself to let go of _everything _you fear to lose."

I internally sighed. This hadn't been the result I'd expected from the old Master. I'd expected him to give me a solution of some sort that might prevent Padme's death. He was telling me to let her go and I couldn't do that. I've only been married to Padme for three years, but I've known her for many more. How do you just… _let go _of someone you love and cherish? I nodded and stood up. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

"On your mind, something else is?"

"No," I sighed. "You've cleared things up for me very well."

I bowed and turned away, walking out of his quarters. I decided to go relax for a little while. I didn't feel like training anymore for the rest of the day and possibly even the next few days. As I was walking out of the temple, my comlink began to beep. I sighed, pulling my wrist closer to my face. "Skywalker here."

"_Master, are you still with Master Yoda?_"

"No. What's up, Snips? Do you need me?"

"_I… was just wondering. Can we… go out for lunch?_"

I smiled. "I think it's a little too late for lunch, Snips."

"_Oh. I'm sorry. Never mind then._"

"How does dinner sound?"

There was silence. For a moment, I thought she'd closed the connection on me, but I heard her breathing. "_That sounds great. Where do you want to eat?_"

"Let's go to Dex's Diner. Obi-Wan said it's a good place. I've never personally been there though."

"_It'll be the first time for me, too. Where can I meet you?_"

"I'll wait for you outside the temple. We can fly there in my speeder. Does that sound all right?"

"_Of course. I'll be out in a few minutes. I'm going to jump into the shower quickly. Your bedding should be dried by the time we come back._"

I chuckled. "All right, Snips. I'll see you in a few. I'm looking forward to sleeping on a warm bed tonight. If mine isn't, then I'm sleeping on yours. You can sleep on the floor."

I heard her laugh quietly and I could just imagine her rolling her eyes right now. "_They'll be done, Master. If they aren't, then I'm going to force them to dry._"

"Get in the shower, Ahsoka. I'll be here."

"_See ya in a few, Master._"

I laughed, shaking my head, as I closed the connection. I walked down the stairs of the temple, sitting on the last stair. I leaned back, looking up at the sky full of flying speeders. I glanced toward the Senate building, picturing Padme brushing her hair on the balcony once again.

I pulled my holoprojector out of my belt's compartment and tried to get on Padme's personal channel. After several minutes of tinkering around, her hologram appeared. She looked beautiful as always.

"_Hello, Ani,_" she smiled.

"Padme," I chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"_I'm great. How are you? Were you able to speak with Master Yoda?_"

If I told her that I did, she'd ask me what he said. I didn't want to tell her that he'd basically said there was nothing I could do to save her. "No, he was busy training a group of younglings. I didn't feel the need to disturb his session."

"_That's all right. Ani, how are you feeling after last night? You didn't get very much sleep._"

"I'm just a little tired. Ahsoka beat me up during our training session."

"_She's a strong girl. You shouldn't underestimate her._"

"I know she is," I laughed. "I _am _training her to become stronger."

"_Speaking of Ahsoka, when is the next time I'll be able to receive a visit from you both?_"

"Well, unless we have to escort you somewhere, it won't be for a while. Then again, I sneak out to see you during the night; I could bring her along with me."

"_That would be wonderful, Ani. I miss your Padawan._"

"Don't you miss her Master?"

"_I miss him very much._"

I smirked. "He misses you, too. He also sends his love to you."

"_Tell him I send my love back._"

"I'll let him know." I felt Ahsoka's presence coming closer to me. "I have to go. Ahsoka and I are going to Dex's for dinner. We'll swing by a little later tonight, all right?"

"_That sounds fine, Ani. Have fun and relax. I love you._"

"I love you, too."


	4. Chapter 4

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I walked out of the temple and down the rows of stairs. I saw my Master relaxing on the stairs. I shook my head as I approached him. I sat beside him, glancing at him. His eyes were closed and a half smile danced on his lips. "Are you okay, Master?"

"Yeah, Snips," he whispered, opening his eyes. He turned his head and smiled at me. "Are you all set? I should ask if you're still hungry, but you always are."

I chuckled and punched his arm playfully. I saw his eyes light up and his smile grow wider. I watched as he stood up and reached his hand out for mine. I gripped his hand and he carefully helped me up. "I'm not _always _hungry, Master."

"All right," he agreed, nodding his head. "You just are _most _of the time. I keep wondering how you stay so tiny when you eat so much, little one. What's your secret?"

"I do not eat so much!" I laughed. "It's all the training we do. I practice when you aren't around sometimes. We can't train again until you feel better. In your current condition, my training saber will probably end up killing you."

"I highly doubt that," he laughed. "Anyway, let's get going. I'm kind of hungry."

I chuckled, releasing his hand. I hadn't even realized that our hands were still connected until this moment. Clearly he hadn't realized that fact either. He rubbed the back of his neck as I rolled my eyes. "I'll race you to the speeder."

My eyes met his for a brief moment before a wide smile reappeared on his face. "You're on."

"Go!" I laughed. Together, we ran down the final amount of stairs and across the pavement. We rounded a few corners until we reached the speeder lot.

At the moment, I was actually a little ahead of him. I smiled, pushing myself harder until stronger arms wrapped around my waist. I was spun around in a circle and placed on the ground. By the time I turned around, my Master's back was directly ahead of me. "Oh, and I'm the cheater!"

I heard him chuckle as he reached the airspeeder. I watched as he jumped over the side and landed in the pilot's seat. I jogged the rest of the way and jumped over my side. I smacked his arm again, glaring at him playfully.

"Oh, come on, Snips," he laughed.

I closed my eyes, looking away from him, and crossed my arms over my chest. I heard him chuckle as his hand rested on my leg. "What a youngling you are."

"I'd rather be a youngling than a cheater." I stuck my chin in the air slightly, my eyes remaining closed.

"I promise I won't cheat next time."

I raised my chin higher. His arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me closer to his body until my head rested against his upper chest. I felt his warmth radiating off of him and it felt so wonderful. My feelings for him resurfaced and almost exposed themselves, but I managed to calm myself down. I remembered that he was my Master and that he had a wife.

I sighed and opened my eyes, smiling up at him. He smiled at me and shook his head. "I'll play fair from now on, Snips."

"You're actually a lot more fun when you cheat. Playing fair wouldn't have won us the numerous battles we fought, Master."

"Good point," he replied, nodding. With his other hand, he began the airspeeder's engine. As soon as he was ready to fly us to Dex's Diner, I pulled away from his arm. He glanced at me uneasily for a moment, blinking rapidly before focusing on the speeder.

We flew from the lot, blending into the normal traffic of Coruscant. I bit my lip and wondered if now might be the right time to bring up Padme.

I sighed, glancing over the side of the speeder. I could clearly see her apartment from here and I wondered if that's where he'd rather be right now. Why spend time with a Padawan when you could be with your wife?

"Are _you _okay, Ahsoka?"

I turned my attention back to him and nodded. "Absolutely."

"Would you tell me if something were bothering you?"

"Of course." I normally would, but this was something much bigger and so much more important to him. I wondered what he might think of me for following him that night. My curiosity had definitely gotten to me.

I reached my arm out across the small distance between us and rested my hand on his. He flipped his hand over and held mine. He would usually steer with one hand because he was overconfident in his piloting abilities. I was a bit jealous every time he did this and I had a small feeling that maybe he was trying to impress me. That could be done very easily…

"All right," he whispered. "Ahsoka, I talked to Senator Amidala earlier. We had a discussion about politics again."

I groaned, picturing where this might go. The last time he'd spoken to Padme about politics, I'd gone behind enemy lines and was reprimanded for it by him. "What?"

"Nothing," I replied quickly. "Where is this going?"

"It's not going anywhere like last time, Snips. She actually misses you. She asked me if I could bring you by a little later. Would that be all right with you?"

"Definitely," I laughed. I felt like he was covering up the fact that he wanted to see her. Why would he invite me along though? I glanced at him, checking his expression. He seemed genuinely happy that I had accepted the invitation.

The speeder dipped down beneath the traffic and headed for the under city. We reached Dex's Diner and he carefully parked the speeder in an open space in the lot.

"All right," he began. "You can order whatever you'd like. Don't even look at prices."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

She looked at me with an incredulous expression. "What?"

"What do you mean '_don't even look at prices_'?"

"I mean that I would like to pay for dinner. If something looks really good, then I want you to get it. I feel like spoiling you tonight."

"Oh?" she laughed. "And why is that?"

I shrugged. "I just feel like being a gentleman tonight. I'm not your Master right now; I'm your friend, okay?"

She nodded and smiled. I watched her jump over the side of the speeder and I followed suit soon after, jumping over my side. I walked around and draped my arm over her shoulders. She leaned into me and I swore that I could almost taste her happiness.

We entered the diner and, seeing as though almost every seat was empty, we chose the one closest to the exit. If Ahsoka didn't like the food choices, we could just jet out of here.

She took the one right by the door, so I chose to sit across from her. She folded her hands at the center while I glanced around. I saw a waitress droid rolling around. She looked at us and said, "One minute, hon."

"Take your time."

I turned my attention back to Ahsoka, her eyes downcast onto the table. "What's wrong?"

She jumped a little as she raised her head. I tilted mine, meeting her eyes. She smiled weakly and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, Master. I'm just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking of ways to improve my lightsaber skills."

"Ahsoka," I sighed. "I don't think there's much improvement to be done. You're doing everything with a tremendous amount of skill. To be honest, I think you're pretty close to being ready to undergo the trials."

I watched her eyes light up as she straightened in her seat. "Do you really think that?"

I smiled, nodding. "Of course I do. You've proven yourself time and time again to be an amazing student. It's just… going to be so hard to let you go when that time comes. You've been my Padawan for almost three years and I've grown close to you. You're like my little sister."

Her smile faltered for a moment. It was too quick, but I noticed it. "Thank you, Master."

She turned her head as the waitress droid rolled over to us. "What'll it be tonight?"

Ahsoka glanced at me nervously, her eyes widening slightly. I bit my lip, thinking quickly. "Do you have specials for the week?"

"Yes, hon. Dex has a special soup this week."

I glanced away from the droid and focused on Ahsoka. "How does that sound?"

She nodded her head, fiddling with her fingers. "All right, we'll take two dishes of the soup."

The droid pulled out a datapad and scribbled our order onto it, rolling away from us. I turned back to Ahsoka, smiling at her. She was rubbing her left lek nervously and I could tell that she was thinking of something much bigger than _improving her lightsaber skills._ "Ahsoka, talk to me."

I rested my elbows onto the table, folding my hands and resting my chin on them. She moved her hands down towards her lap and bit her lip. Her eyes darted beside me and then back to me several times. I tensed as I felt the nervousness rolling off of her in massive waves. "What are you so nervous about, Snips?"

"Nothing," she muttered, attempting to contain her emotions. I lifted my head and placed my hand on the table, palm up. She glanced at it briefly before placing her own on top of it. "Master, I'm sorry. There's nothing going on right now that really makes me nervous. I'm just nervous about the future in general."

I rubbed her hand with my thumb. "Everything is going to be okay, little one. Why do you think something so terrible is going to happen?"

"I just have this feeling and I'm starting to believe it. I don't truly understand it."

I sighed, half smiling at her. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to either of us, Snips."

She nodded, closing her eyes. "I know you won't, Master, but I feel that this is something much bigger than us both."

"Then we need to come together to stop whatever this bad feeling is."

She laughed lightly, opening her eyes again. "Thank you, Master. I forgot to ask you how your meeting with Master Yoda went. Did he help you figure out what your premonition meant?"

I shook my head. "He told me that I had to let whatever happens in that dream come true. He said that... the events were _natural_, that I couldn't prevent them. He said that I need to let go."

"If you don't mind me asking, what _did _you dream about?"

I pulled my hand away from her and straightened myself. "I'd rather not get into this right now, Ahsoka. Maybe I'll open up to you about it later. It's just…"

"I understand," she whispered. "It's something difficult that you don't want to open up right now because you're unsure if it'll become reality."

I chuckled, staring into her eyes. "I think you know me a little _too _well, Snips. You know that I'll eventually tell you, but for right now I don't want to worry you."

"I'm going to be worried even if you keep it hidden. I'll always be here for you, Skyguy. I want you to open yourself up to me. Sure, I'm a Padawan, but –"

"You're not just a Padawan," I interrupted. "You're the one person I trust with my life. You've been here for me through trying times and we've both saved each other countless times. You're my best friend, Snips."

"I think you've had to save me more than I've had to save you," she laughed.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "That's because you always get yourself into trouble. Hm, like when you followed Bane by yourself."

"Don't even start, Skyguy," she chuckled, reaching across the table to smack my arm.

"Here ya go," the droid announced, placing our food onto the table. Ahsoka and I nodded, thanking the droid. I paid the amount of credits due and we began to eat in a peaceful silence.


	5. Chapter 5

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"Come on, Snips," he laughed, spinning around to face me. I felt sick inside, seeing how happy he was around me. His wife, my second closest friend, was coming closer to death with each passing day. I wondered what might happen to the child she was bearing. "Snips? Snips!"

I raised my head to see my Master smack right into me, knocking me onto the ground. An airspeeder passed by, the driver screaming at me in his native tongue. I closed my eyes, laying my head back on the pavement. "Ahsoka, what is going on?"

His body weight lifted from on top of me and his hands grabbed mine, pulling me up into a standing position. I leaned my head against his chest, not knowing what to tell him. "Talk to me," he whispered.

I closed my eyes as his arms circled around me. "Was it something I said at dinner?"

I shook my head, not placing too much faith in a strong voice right now. He pulled away slowly, kneeling down a bit until his eyes were level with mine. "Are you feeling all right?"

"No," I whispered. "I think it was the food." He must have sensed that I was lying to him, but he nodded, not thinking twice about it.

"I didn't like it too much either, so I understand. We'll get something different next time or we'll just go somewhere else. I don't want you to be sick. Do you still feel up to seeing Senator Amidala or do you want me to take you back to the temple?"

"I bet she's looking forward to a visit from us," I sighed. "I don't want to disappoint her."

His hands gripped my shoulders firmly. "You look like you're going to pass out, Ahsoka. If you feel –"

I glanced up, staring into his eyes with a hard expression. "I want to see Padme, Master."

He stared into my eyes, searching for the slightest hint of deception. I raised the eye markings above my left eye, staring at him. "Well, are we going?"

He rolled his eyes, releasing his grip on me, and straightening himself into his full height. He was always a little taller than me and he seemed to get taller just as I did. "I want you to tell me if you're going to be sick so I know if I should drop you off at the temple or not."

_Drop you off. _Even if I stayed at the temple, he'd go out to visit her. I frowned, casting my eyes to the ground. "Ahsoka –"

"Just go to her apartment, I'll walk back to the temple. Tell Padme that I'm sorry for not being able to make it."

I walked passed him, tears threatening to fall. My chest felt heavier and full of sorrow. Once I got further away from him, I picked up speed and began to run. My vision blurred and I wiped the tears away from my face.

Since I couldn't see anything, I had no idea where I was running. I didn't know if I was even going in the right direction. I tripped over something that had been on the ground. I fell, scraping my elbows and knees. Tears fell faster down my face as I curled up into a ball, crossing my arms to hold myself.

I closed my eyes tightly, feeling a breeze send shivers up my spine. Even behind my closed eyelids, I could see the bright light that stopped in front of me. I heard footsteps running toward me and then I felt strong arms lift me. "Ahsoka…"

I cried heavily into his chest, gripping his vest between my fingers. His hand stroked my rear lek lightly for a few moments. I felt his arms wrap around me and lift me from the ground, but I kept my eyes shut.

How was I supposed to keep his secret? Knowing that one of my friend's life was about to come to an end in a few weeks or so had begun to tear me apart. I wanted to tell him that I knew everything, that I'd followed him. I just didn't want to face him when he became upset. What if he told the Council that I was being disobedient?

My legs dangled over his arms as he gripped onto me tightly and carried me, like a youngling, back to his airspeeder. He carefully placed me in the passenger seat. I opened my eyes to see a blurry vision of him staring at me, a sad expression on his face.

He walked around and hopped onto his side, placing a hand on my leg. "Ahsoka, I obviously can't leave you alone tonight. I'll tell Padme that we both can't make it. I need to make sure you're all right first."

I bit my lip, turning away from him. I wiped my eyes until I could finally see a little better. His hand still rested on my leg as we flew back to the temple. I saw the familiar scenery of the lot as he began to drift towards the ground.

"Do you think you can walk or are your knees in too much pain?"

I glanced down at my knees, seeing plenty of blood on them both. I could only imagine that my elbows mirrored the image. "I don't know."

He waited patiently for me to relax. I glanced at him, seeing his trademark worrying face. He'd always display it after I did something that concerned him. "Come on, Master."

He jumped out of the speeder, walking over to me. He helped me out of the side and onto the pavement. My knees felt weak, but I walked away from him. I began to head into the temple, imagining the conversation that would most likely ensue. I wasn't feeling up to arguing with him tonight.

We entered our shared dorm and I headed straight for my bed, collapsing as soon as I made contact with it. He sat beside me, rubbing my back for a while until I fell asleep.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Once I felt peace running through Ahsoka, I relaxed. I was extremely concerned for her because, one, she could have gotten hit by the speeder outside of Dex's Diner and, two, she could have seriously injured herself while running the way she was.

I sighed, staring down at my sleeping Padawan. I wondered what was going on inside of her that made her act the way she had.

Sitting here, I thought back a bit. I remembered that something important was today, but I couldn't – _the Outer Rim Siege Report!_

I dashed out of the room, heading towards the briefing area. I ran down several hallways until I came just outside of the room. I sighed inwardly as a few of the Masters began to exit the room. I pushed passed them until I entered the room, running down a few stairs.

Obi-Wan was in the center of the room, turning off the holoprojector. "You missed the report on the Outer Rim sieges," he said flatly, not turning around to face me.

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I sighed, out of breath. "I'm sorry. I was held up." I stopped for a moment to breathe. "I was… preoccupied."

He continued to keep his back to me as he tinkered with the holoprojector. "In short, they are going very well. Saleucami has fallen and Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity."

"What's wrong then?" I asked, sensing his tension. He turned to face me finally.

He glanced away from me nervously. "The Senate is expected to vote more Executive powers to the Chancellor today."

"Well, that can only mean less deliberating and more action. Is that bad? It'll make it easier for us to end this war."

"Be careful of your friend. Palpatine."

"Be careful of _what?_"

He began walking up the stairway. I followed beside him. "He has requested your presence."

"What for?"

"He would not say."

"He didn't inform the Council? That's unusual isn't it?"

"All of this is unusual and it's making me feel _uneasy._"

We walked out into the hallway, saying our good-byes and parting. He was off to discuss something with the Council while I was going to see what Palpatine had requested me for. I wondered why he hadn't told the Council anything. I had to agree with Obi-Wan. I felt a bit uneasy myself.

I left the temple, jumping back into my speeder and flying towards the Senate building. I passed the politicians, receiving questioning stares.

I kept my head held high as I continued toward Palpatine's personal office. Once I reached it, his guards allowed me immediate entrance.

I tensed up a bit as I entered his office. "Ah, Anakin," he greeted from his desk. I bowed my head, walking closer to him. He stood, smiling at me.

His hand gripped my arm, forcing me to walk beside him. His office was extremely large, having several rooms. He slowly walked across the red carpeting and I kept my pace up beside him. "I hope you trust me, Anakin."

"Of course."

"I need your help, son."

"What do you mean?"

"I am depending on you."

"For what? I don't understand."

"To be the eyes, ears, and voice of the Republic. Anakin, I'm appointing you to be my _personal _representative on the Council."

"Me?" I asked, shocked by his words. I'd never expected him to say this, not in a million years. "A Master? I'm overwhelmed, Sir, but the Council elects its own members. They will never accept this."

"I think they will," he said with an extreme amount of confidence in his voice.

I pondered his words as he kept walking. I moved down the short flight of stairs, catching up to him. "They need you. More than you know…"

I stood beside him once again, walking with him out of the office. "Take my word to the Council and receive their approval, Anakin. You deserve this."

"My apprentice is still a Padawan, Chancellor. She hasn't received the rank of Jedi Knight yet. I don't believe they'll –"

"Anakin," he said, growing upset. "They will accept my word. You will become a Master and have a respected seat on the Council. Ahsoka's exceptional skills will lead her to her trials soon enough."

I nodded, allowing his words to sink in as I exited the office. "Best of luck to you, my boy!" he called down to me.

I smiled. If he was right, I would achieve my greatest dream. I would finally become a Master and be a part of the Council.

I ran passed the politicians, feeling a bigger amount of authority and determination. I headed back outside to my airspeeder, hopping in and flying back to the temple once again. I sighed, seeing as though I'd been back and forth between the temple and another area in the city several times today.

I thought back to Ahsoka, wondering how she was. I landed in the lot once again, landing in my usual spot. I might as well just call it my own.

I hopped out and headed back into the temple. I walked down several hallways and up a few flights of stairs until I reached the level that my dorm was on. I quietly entered, seeing Ahsoka's bed empty. I frowned, listening to the silence.

I heard something drop in the refresher, a loud thud echoing in the almost empty room. She muttered something under her breath before the door slid open and she emerged. A towel was wrapped tightly around her tiny body.

I turned my head, raising a hand to my eyes. "Oh, Master!"

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I'll step out for a moment."

I could almost picture the smirk and the rolling of her eyes as I walked out of the dorm. I waited patiently against the opposite wall, staring at the closed door. I thought for a moment, pulling my wrist to my face and contacting Padme. "_Hello?_"

"It's me," I whispered. "Ahsoka isn't feeling too well right now. I'm making sure she's all right. I'm sorry that we can't make it tonight, but I promise we'll both visit you soon, okay?"

I could almost see her warm smile and understanding eyes. "_Of course, Ani. I hope she feels better soon. I miss you both. I love you._"

I smiled. "I love you, too, Padme. Thank you for understanding. I'm sure she'll appreciate it. I'll talk to you later, love."

"_I'll see you later, my dear._"

I closed the link just as the door opened. "You can come in," she laughed.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. I stood up and entered the room right behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Happy Birthday to the man of many names (the one this story is dedicated to): **_**Grand Master Raven**_**. Have a good one! :D**

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"How are you feeling?" he asked me slowly. I continued to walk into the room until I sat on my bed. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for my answer.

I shrugged. "I'm feeling a little better now."

"Are you sure? You really had me worried earlier, Ahsoka," he whispered. He uncrossed his arms and came closer to me until he was sitting right beside me. "Can you tell me what made you act like that? What made you so upset that you'd try to get yourself killed?"

"I wasn't trying to kill myself, Master, I swear!"

He half smiled. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that coming from you, but that still doesn't answer my question. What made you act like that? You stormed off and hurt yourself," he glanced down at my knees.

"It was nothing, Master. I'm just… emotional at the moment."

"Why?" he pressed.

My thoughts were moving at lightspeed, trying to form some excuse that would actually make sense in the long run. "Master, how much do you know about women?"

"What does that have to – _oh._"

I saw realization dawn on him as he stared at me. He nodded. "I understand."

What he didn't realize is that Togruti women don't go through the same things that human women do, but I wasn't about to tell him that. I was just glad that he bought that lame excuse. I sighed as his arm wound around my shoulders. "I just hope you're not hiding anything from me, Ahsoka. I'm here, not only to teach you, but to guide you. I _want _to help you."

I stared up at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. I leaned against his side, wrapping one arm around his waist. "Thank you, Master."

"I'll always be here for you, little one. I'll be here even after you become a Jedi Knight and move into your own dorm. It'll be pretty weird not waking up to see your belongings littering the floor or you sleeping here."

I chuckled and punched his leg. "I've got a few more years before I can become a Knight." I sat up to stare into his eyes. "Thank you, Master."

"You're welcome. Just don't do anything that'll get you killed before you're Knighted, Snips. I'd hate to miss that ceremony…"

I chuckled and smirked. "I'm always at your side. What could I possibly do that would backfire? Oh, wait, maybe –"

He squeezed me closer to him. "I'm not going to do anything that reckless," he laughed. "You and I both know that my crash landings and aggressive negotiations always prevail in the end."

"I take after you, old man," I giggled. "When you were unconscious during the Battle above Quell, we ended up crash landing on Maridun and I've had to use your aggressive negotiations several times."

He shook his head. "You're too much like me, Snips."

"Like Master, like Padawan," I chuckled.

"I guess you're right. Hey, I have to talk to the Council in a little bit. Do you want to come with me or do you want to relax for a little while?"

"I'll let you talk to them," I whispered. "They still intimidate me a little."

"Oh," he laughed. "Thanks, Snips. Let me handle the scary Council on my own then."

I rolled my eyes, feeling his arm begin to unwind from my shoulders as he leaned into a standing position. He stretched his arms out, groaning a bit. I stared at his back, watching his muscles tense. "Are _you _okay, Master?"

"You bet," he whispered. I heard something snap as he moved. He bent over, making a painful sound. I stood up, wrapping one arm around his back and placing one hand on his chest.

"If _'you bet'_ means that you're in pain, then I guess you're doing okay," I whispered into his ear. I dragged him back onto my bed and he relaxed, his face still displaying a bit of pain. "What hurts?"

"Ankle," he whispered through his teeth. I still held him in a sitting position, waiting for him to show me that he felt a little less pain. He unclenched his jaw and began to breathe slowly.

"Is this from the training session?"

"Possibly," he whispered. He turned his head to smile at me weakly. "It might have been when you kicked me while trying to protect me from a droid that I _didn't_ see."

"You didn't see it!" I laughed.

"Yeah, I did," he chuckled. "I was hoping that you'd _have my back _like you said. You threw your leg out, kicking my ankle in the process."

"So that's why you dropped so fast…"

"Why did you think I fell?" he laughed.

"You're losing your touch? I'm not even sure. I just thought you were too tired or too distracted."

He shrugged, lying back on my bed. He fell back so fast that he dragged me back along with him. I stared at his face as he stared at the ceiling. "I was a little distracted and believe me when I say that I wish I could tell you why."

"Why can't you tell me? I thought you trusted me."

His head turned towards me, his bangs falling over his eyes. "It's not that I don't trust you. You know I trust you more than anyone because you're so close to me. It's just really… _difficult_, for lack of a better word, to explain the situation. I'm afraid of what you'd think."

"You'll never know what I think unless you tell me what's on your mind, Master. Is it a secret?"

He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes locked with mine. I sighed. "Whatever it is, I'd never sell you out. You've saved me from the wrath of the Council on occasion. I'd never turn my back on you, Master. I don't want to send you away or lose you…"

He propped himself up on his elbows. "You act like you already know what I'm keeping from you."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

She bit her lip as she stared at me. "Do you?"

"No. I can't read your mind, Master," she whispered. She looked up at the ceiling above us. I slowly raised my hand to take hers.

She looked at me again. "Ahsoka, now I know you're keeping something from me."

"If you tell me what you're hiding from me, then I'll tell you what I'm hiding from you," she whispered, a bit of anger hidden in her voice.

"Ahsoka…" I pleaded. "Be reasonable."

"No!" she cried out, lurching into an upright position and lifting herself off of the bed. She spun around and glared at me, pointing her finger towards me. "_You _be reasonable! You've been keeping secrets from me for Force knows how long, but you say you trust me. How can you trust me if you can't tell me something like this?"

I felt my heart breaking as I heard how upset she was. I wondered if maybe this had been the reason behind her actions earlier. She claimed that it had been nothing, but this proved quite the opposite. "Ahsoka, listen to me," I whispered, standing up in front of her.

"Unless you plan on telling me why you don't trust me, then –"

I gripped her shoulders in my hands. "Ahsoka!"

She silenced herself, staring at me sadly. I could see tears forming in her eyes and I felt guilty. I wished that I could tell her about Padme, about the nightmares, but I couldn't. I trusted her, but she'd always been so strict about obeying the Code. She'd never do anything so drastic like I had. I'd lied to her for years, hiding my marriage.

"I don't want to talk to you right now," she whispered, tearing her gaze away from me. "Please, just leave…"

I slowly lifted my hands from her shoulders and pulled them back to my sides. I shook my head and sighed. "I'll come back later, Ahsoka. Don't do anything reckless while I'm gone…"

As I was about to leave, I heard her begin to sob. I turned around slowly and then she hit me. Her arms wrapped around my waist and she cried against my chest. "Don't leave…"

I wrapped my arms around her lightly and placed my chin in the dip between her montrals. "Not until you're okay," I whispered.

"I'm sorry for being so angry. It's not the Jedi way…" she trailed off, continuing to sob against me. I rubbed her back slowly, telling her that everything was going to be okay.

"I've had my own run in with anger, Ahsoka, so don't feel bad. I understand and I forgive you. I don't even have to think about it."

She sniffled, pulling her head back to smile at me. "Thank you, Master, for being so understanding and easy to talk to."

"We're too much alike, Snips," I chuckled. "There are just some things we can't tell each other, but we can't let that tear us apart. I promise that I'll tell you everything soon." I bent down so that my eyes were level with her own. "I _can't _keep anything from you very long. Sooner or later, I'll break, but just trust me for right now. This is something you need to be patient with, okay?"

She nodded slowly. I lifted her chin up so that her eyes were focused on mine. "Be patient with _me._ I promise I'll tell you everything. Now just isn't the time for that. I'm always stressed, always worried, and on top of that, I don't want to lose the people closest to me. You're one of those people and I was so afraid in the lot outside of Dex's. You just stood there as that speeder raced towards you…"

She stared at me sadly as tears began to fall down her face again. "Don't scare me like that ever again, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Master."

I released her chin and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly against me. "I can't lose you, Ahsoka," I whispered. "If I did, I don't know what I'd do. You mean that much to me, little one."

Her fingers gripped the back of my vest tightly. "I'll be more careful from now on, big brother."

I smiled, laughing lightly. "Oh, Snips…"

She giggled against me, pulling her hand back to wipe her tears away. I pulled back, leveling myself with her again. "You mean the world to me, Ahsoka. I blame myself for anything that happens to you because you're my Padawan and my little sister."

I saw the light in her eyes dull and I wondered why. I'd asked too many questions as it is, so I figured that now might not be the best time to ask her how she felt. I'd rather talk and let her know that everything was going to be just fine in the future.

I sighed as I thought back to my nightmare, the dreadful image of my wife dying in childbirth. There were only a few people that I'd grown extremely close to, that I couldn't function properly without. Two of those people were my family and I loved them both equally.

If Ahsoka got herself killed, I'd be devastated and it would be so hard to let go of her. If I lost Padme to the death I'd dreamt, I would probably die from the inside out. It was pretty surprising how much of my life these two girls, women, ruled.

"Ahsoka, I'm going to speak with the Council. Are you okay with that? I can postpone my meeting if you need me to stay here."

She smiled at me. "I'll be okay. I just want to apologize for the thoughtless words and the –"

"No apologies necessary, kiddo," I laughed. "Just relax for a little while and I'll be back before you know it."

I quickly hugged her again and she reluctantly released me. I walked toward the door, beginning to leave. I stopped in the doorway, turning around to face her. "Promise me that you won't do anything to hurt yourself?"

She rolled her eyes. "I promise, Master."

I nodded, smiling at her. "I'll see you soon." I turned and continued out of the dorm, heading down the seemingly endless hallways that led to the Council chambers.


	7. Chapter 7

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I entered the Council chambers cautiously. The entire Council was seated around me; three of the Masters were seated as holograms, which was less intimidating for me. I controlled my heart that began to race as my anxiety built up.

I stood in the center of the room, facing Master Yoda. I bowed politely to him. "Welcome, young Skywalker. A message from the Chancellor, you have, yes?"

"Yes, Master," I replied quietly. I glanced around the room briefly, scanning their expressions. I felt their curiosity as well as their attention. "Chancellor Palpatine has requested that I be appointed a seat on the Council as his personal representative."

Each Master shifted in their seat uneasily, glancing at Master Yoda. He sighed, shaking his head. "Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine."

"I understand," I nodded. I agreed with him, but I wasn't about to turn down the opportunity that he'd given me.

Master Windu shook his head. "You're on this Council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master."

My heart sank as I focused on him. "What?" I asked in disbelief.

He tilted his head slightly, taunting me to say something that might change his mind. I glanced away from him, looking at Obi-Wan. "How can you do this? This is outrageous. It's _unfair._" I watched their glances to each other, but I didn't care. I was upset by Windu's statement. "How can you be on the Council and _not _be a Master?"

He leaned forward in his chair, displaying his hard glare. His right hand extended toward the only empty seat in the room. "Take a seat, young Skywalker."

I stared at him, shifting nervously. I felt the disappointment in the room and I immediately felt irresponsible, but none of this made sense. I bowed politely, though my thoughts told me to act otherwise. "Forgive me, Master," I whispered.

I walked across the room, taking a seat and barely basking in my new authority. Though I was still the same rank, it made me feel a little better that I was on the same level as the Masters. I shifted nervously in my seat as Windu continued to stare at me, waiting for me to break.

"_We have surveyed all systems in the Republic,_" Master Mundi said. "_And have found no sign of General Grievous._"

"Hiding in the Outer Rim, Grievous is. The outlying systems, you must sweep."

"We do not have many ships to spare," Obi-Wan sighed.

"_What about the droid attack on the Wookiees?_" Master Mundi asked. I could sense the unease in the room, especially from Master Yoda.

"It is critical we send an attack group there immediately," Windu suggested.

"He's right," Obi-Wan whispered. "It's a system we cannot afford to lose."

"Go, I will. Good relations with the Wookiees, I have." Master Yoda and Windu shared a glance and Windu nodded.

"It's settled then. Yoda will take a battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookiees on Kashyyyk."

I lowered my gaze to the floor, wishing that I had been assigned something. I wouldn't mind getting off of Coruscant for a while, especially since I had disappointed many members of the Council. "May the Force be with us all."

I continued to stare at the floor as the Masters stood or disappeared from their seats. They all began to exit the chambers. Obi-Wan walked over to me, waiting for me to stand. I stared at my boots until he cleared his throat. I sighed and stood, walking beside him out of the room.

He led me down a few stairways until we were in a secluded hallway. I felt my anger beginning to rise until I couldn't contain it any longer. "What kind of nonsense is this? Put me on the Council and not make me a Master? It's_ never_ been done in the history of the Jedi. It's _insulting_."

"Oh, calm down, Anakin," he whispered angrily. "You have been given a great honor, to be on the Council at your age. It's never happened before."

He paused and I turned to face him. "The fact of the matter is," he began, crossing his arms over his chest. "You are too close to the Chancellor. The Council doesn't like it when he interferes in Jedi affairs."

"I swear to you, I didn't ask to be put on the Council," I whispered.

"But it's what you wanted. Your friendship with Chancellor Palpatine seems to have paid off."

He began walking and I followed beside him. I kept my focus on him. "_That _has nothing to do with this."

"The only reason the Council has approved your appointment is because the Chancellor trusts you."

"And…?"

"Anakin, I am on your side. I didn't want to put you in this situation."

I stopped beside a large window, staring at his back. "What situation?"

He spun around, glancing at the floor. "The Council wants you to report on all the Chancellor's dealings. They want to know what he's up to."

He sighed, walking closer to the window. I followed him, feeling my own confusion rising. "They want me to _spy _on the Chancellor? That's _treason_!"

"We are at war, Anakin," he replied coolly.

I shook my head, thinking back to the Council's meeting. None of this had been mentioned whatsoever. There was no hint or indication that the Council had been thinking this way. "Why didn't the Council give me this assignment when we were in session?"

"This assignment is not to be on record."

"The Chancellor is not a bad man, Obi-Wan. He befriended me. He's watched out for me ever since I arrived here."

"That is why you_ must_ help us. Anakin, our allegiance is to the Senate, not to its leader, who has managed to stay in office _long_ after his term has _expired_."

"The Senate demanded that he stay longer," I reasoned with him, trying to get out of this assignment.

"Yes, but use your _feelings_, Anakin. Something is out of place."

I sighed, turning away from him. "You're asking me to do something against the Jedi Code. Against the Republic. Against a mentor and a friend, that's what's out of place here. Why are you asking this of me?"

He remained silent for a moment, staring at me sadly. "The Council is asking this of you."

I shook my head and continued passed him, heading quickly towards my dorm.

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I sighed as I felt my Master's emotions. I wondered what was causing him so much distress. It was probably Padme, but I'd chosen not to prod him for the truth. I felt him coming closer to the dorm, anger and confusion rolling off of him in large waves.

It felt like he was crushing me beneath his emotions, especially when he entered the room. His boots met the floor heavily, creating large thuds because his steps carried his anger. I sat up on my bed, watching him storm off into the refresher. "Okay," I said to myself. "I guess he's not going to talk to me right now."

I heard the water turn on and the sound of metal slamming against the wall. I cringed, remembering the first time he'd done that. He'd broken a piece of the wall and hurt himself because he was upset with me. That had been the first time I disobeyed his orders. I could honestly say that I'd learned how to mess with him and make him laugh when I irritate him.

He normally just tells me to be careful now, but on occasion, he'll scold me for my actions. I know I've embarrassed him before the Council, but I couldn't help it at the time. I was still young and we'd hardly known each other.

I smiled to myself, remembering that, as the years went by, he'd grown much more protective of me and much less strict of my actions. He kept telling me not to be cocky, but I couldn't help it. The way he acts always ended up rubbing off on me in the end.

He came out of the room, a towel around his waist. "Master?" I whispered.

He lifted his head to glance at me, raising his eyebrow. "What's up, Snips?"

I could still feel his emotions, but they had relaxed a little. I shook my head. "Nothing much, but I want to ask you something."

"Ask away," he replied, lowering his eyebrow to smile at me.

"Well, get some clothes on first," I laughed.

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Right."

He walked over to his dresser, staring at the drawer holding his ring and the necklace. I watched his eyes close as his hands rested on the wooden sides. "Master?"

"Yeah?" he whispered sadly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, sitting up.

"Just had a rough meeting with the Council is all," he replied. I watched the muscles on his back and arms tense, but I knew there was nothing I could do to fix that. He shook his head, closing the drawer to open another one and pull out a spare outfit. "I'll be out in a sec if you still want to talk."

I nodded as he walked back into the refresher to get dressed. I jumped off of my bed and walked over to his dresser, pulling the drawer open. I picked up the ring, staring at it for a moment, before sliding it onto my left hand. It fit perfectly and it kind of scared me.

I heard him grunt in frustration in the refresher. He must be trying to get his stubborn boots on. I laughed, shaking my head. I quickly took the ring off of my finger and placed it in the exact spot it had been in moments ago.

I silently dashed back towards my bed, sitting in the same position that I'd been in when he walked out of the living area. He came back out, limping slightly. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Only a little, but I'm fine." He moved across the room to sit beside me. "All right, so you wanted to ask me something?"

I stared into his azure eyes, falling deeper. "Uh, Snips…?"

I blinked to see that my face was just inches from his own. I pulled back quickly, my eyes widened. I glanced at the floor. "I'm sorry, Master," I muttered.

His hand patted my leg for a moment before he spoke. "It's all right, Ahsoka. I don't want you to feel ashamed of yourself. It's…" he trailed off, thinking of the best thing to say. "It's _normal…_ to experience what you're feeling. The most important thing is how you plan to act on those feelings. You know how strict the Code is about attachments and you know how strict I am about them as well. I don't want to do anything that'll get you taken away from me, kiddo."

I sighed, nodding to close the discussion. He was lying yet again. I turned a little to look at him, seeing the sadness dominating his expression. I slowly reached my fingers out, intertwining them with his. He stared at me, frowning. "I won't let those emotions take over. I know how strict you are about the Code and I don't want to break them either. I would disappoint you if I did and I don't want to disappoint you."

He smiled weakly. "I don't want to disappoint you either, Ahsoka."

He sighed and glanced out of the window. "It's getting late. We should probably get some rest."

"You forget that I had plenty of time to rest today, Master," I laughed. "You're the one who needs to get some sleep."

"Well, it doesn't appear as though we're receiving any missions anytime soon, so you'd better take advantage of all the time we have to relax."

"Why aren't we getting any missions?"

"The Jedi are spread too thin already. A few of us need to remain on Coruscant and we just happened to get selected to stay. Relax, Snips, and _enjoy _the time off. I know I will," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes as he walked over to his bed and plopped down on it. He turned over so that his back was to me and, though I couldn't see his face, I knew what he was feeling right now. I knew he was more worried about Padme than excited to stay here with her.


	8. Chapter 8

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up the next morning, yawning. I stretched my arms above my head and smiled, sitting up slowly. I rubbed my eyes and glanced across the room to see my Master's bed completely empty. I sighed, shaking my head.

He must have woken up in the middle of the night to go see her. I knew he couldn't stay away very long and I wondered what excuse he might give me today for being gone.

I pulled my blanket back and threw my legs over the side of the bed, touching the floor. I stretched my arms out at my sides, hearing the nice crack of stiff muscles. I stood up, walking over to my Master's dresser once again.

I opened the top drawer to see the necklace gone, but the ring still there. I wondered why he would leave something so important here where I could easily find it. I lifted the ring, holding it between my thumb and index finger, inspecting it. I saw a small inscription on the inside of the ring and I pulled it closer to my face. It had the words _'Forever and Always'_ engraved into it.

I sighed, feeling my depression sink in. I lied to him last night when I said that I wouldn't allow my emotions to take over me. I already had, whether it was intentional or not. I remember the first time he caught me staring at him in a more than friendly way. "_What? You think you're the first Padawan to want their Master?_"

The blue stripes on my lekku and montrals turned a darker shade as I remembered the smirk that played upon his lips when he said that. "_It's not a bad thing, I guess, but don't let your emotions control you, Ahsoka._"

If only I had known then that he and Padme were together. I wondered how he was so good at hiding something like this from the Council for as long as he has. I slipped the ring onto my finger again, wishing that it were mine. I sighed as I held my hand out in front of me, staring at it.

I heard footsteps coming closer to the door and within seconds, the door slid open. I quickly dashed into the refresher as the visitor entered. "Snips?"

I pressed my montrals against the door, locking it. "Yeah?"

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," I whispered.

"How are you feeling?"

I bit my lip, glancing down at the ring that was still placed on my finger. _His _wedding ring. What if he found out that I took it? "I'm okay, Master. How about you?"

"I'm good. I was going to head out for a little bit, but I forgot something." I removed the ring and placed it in a compartment on my belt. I bit my lip again as I wondered what he'd think if he couldn't find it.

I unlocked the door and walked out to see him searching frantically through his dresser. "What are you looking for, Master?"

"Uh," he spun around, staring at me with widened eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Nothing, Snips. I think I left it somewhere else, so… I'll look for it later."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Nope."

I walked across the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to me for what I hoped would be a long embrace. I slyly opened the compartment on my belt, pulling the ring out. I opened one on his side quietly and slipped it in. While doing so, I felt the necklace. I rubbed his back for a moment, smiling to myself. "Are you sure you're okay, Ahsoka?"

I pulled back to smile. "Of course, Master. Go have fun."

"Do you want to come with me?"

"What were you planning on doing?"

"I was considering heading over to see Senator Amidala. She still misses you and she was pretty bummed about us not being able to make it."

As much as I wanted to have them both in the same room with me, I didn't think I could handle the secret without blowing it. If the three of us were closed in a room, I'd fall apart and confess that I'd followed him, that I knew about their secret.

"You go ahead. Tell Padme that I said hello, please."

He unwound his arms from around me and leveled himself to meet my eyes. "Are you –?"

"I'm fine and I'm sure," I laughed, smacking his shoulder. "Get out of the temple and enjoy yourself. I've got some training to do."

"I should be training you…"

I threw one arm around his neck, whispering into his ear, "You've been under a lot of stress lately. Go unwind and have fun. Plus, I don't want to hurt you again."

He chuckled, pulling back to smile at me. For one moment, I saw a glimmer in his eyes, but I knew that wasn't a good thing. His arms wrapped around my waist and picked me up, throwing me over his strong shoulders. "Master!" I laughed.

He spun around and ran out of the dorm, laughing while doing so. My hands were on his back and I continued to laugh as several Padawans and younglings stared at us like we were crazy. "Master, put me down!"

"Not until I get you out of the temple," he chuckled.

I watched his robes fly back behind him and I felt like a small child again. It was like being at home before Master Plo had brought me here. My father used to pick me up and run with me like this, but this felt so much better. I felt free and I knew that he truly cared about my happiness. My Master always pulled some random stunt when he wanted me to laugh.

He began to run down the countless stairs that led us out of the temple. I laughed, beginning to cry. Once he stopped, he put me down. He bent forward, allowing my feet to touch the ground. As soon as I did, I threw my arms around him.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I smiled as I watched Ahsoka's lips form her own beautiful smile. I wound my arms around her back lightly, holding her against me. "I love to see you smile, Snips."

"You always make me smile, Master."

I chuckled as we separated. "So now what do we do?"

She shrugged. "I thought _you _were the one creating plans and such, Master. You're the one that wanted to get me out of the temple and here I am," she laughed. "What do _you _want to do?"

"Anything."

She smacked my chest playfully. "I need to go teach some younglings today at Master Yoda's request. I'll be there for a few hours, but after that, maybe we could go out for dinner again?"

"When did he request you for a lesson?"

"He called me to the chambers last night while you were asleep. I'll let you know when I'm done, okay?"

I sighed, nodding as I ran a hand through my hair. "Good luck, Ahsoka. Don't teach them anything that I haven't taught you. Keep out of trouble, little one."

She rolled her eyes, smiling at me. "I've taught this group of younglings before, Master. I can handle myself and –"

"I know you can," I whispered. "I just want you to know that I care about the things you do. I care that something might backfire on either of us or really hurt our status –"

She held a hand up to silence me. "Relax, Master. You seem really on edge this morning and this is exactly why I'm sending you away for the day. When I'm done teaching the class, which will be in a few hours, I'll contact you via comlink and let you know."

"Okay, Snips. I'll see you later then. Enjoy your lesson."

"I will," she said confidently. I shook my head and turned around, heading toward the lot to get my airspeeder. "Oh, and Master?"

I spun around on my heels, raising an eyebrow. "_I'm _choosing dinner tonight."

I chuckled, nodding. "Sounds fine to me, Snips. I'll see you later. Get going so you aren't late!"

She laughed before turning and running back up the steps and entering the temple once again. I sighed, wishing that I could be as happy and energetic as her. All I've felt lately is depressed, stressed, and lethargic.

I headed towards the lot, jumping into my speeder. I revved the engines to life and began to levitate from the ground, flying in the direction of Padme's apartment.

I swerved through the traffic until I landed on the balcony. I stared at her, watching her sit on the couch alone, clad in a large, dark robe. I've always wondered why her hair changes each time I come to see her. She must have had a Senatorial meeting today is what I thought.

"Padme, are you okay?" I asked, walking into the living space. I knelt down, holding her hand in mine. "Are you feeling a little nauseous?"

She smiled at me, pulling me up onto the couch beside her. I took a seat, turning my entire body to face her. "I heard about your appointment to the Jedi Council. You should be happy. What's wrong, my love?" she whispered.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I want you to talk since I've been doing most of it each time you come home. Talk to me, Anakin."

I sighed, looking down at the floor. "Sometimes I wonder what's happening to the Jedi Order. I think this war is destroying the principals of the Republic."

Her fingers intertwined with mine. "Have you ever considered that we maybe on the _wrong _side?" she whispered.

I turned my attention back to her, staring at her incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists and the Republic has become the very evil we've been fighting to destroy?"

I shook my head, staring into her eyes. "I don't believe that _and _you're sounding like a Separatist." I made a disgusted face as I said _Separatist._

"This war represents a failure to listen. Now you're closer to the Chancellor than anyone. Please, ask him to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume."

"Don't ask me to do that," I growled, standing up and walking away. "Make a motion in the Senate where that kind of request belongs!"

"What is it?" she asked concern deep within her voice.

"Nothing," I muttered.

"Don't do this. Don't shut me out. Let me help you," she pleaded standing and coming closer to me. She touched my arm, coming around to stare into my eyes as I turned away.

Her hand moved down my arm as I turned to face her. I stared into her eyes, seeing her sadness. "Hold me," she whispered, running her hand over my chest. She placed both hands on my chest as she continued, "Like you did by the lake on Naboo so long ago when there was nothing but our love."

I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on the top of her head. Her head was supported by my chest as she continued to speak, "No politics, no plotting, no war."

I sighed, kissing her hair. I held her tighter. "I wish we could go back to that time, Padme. I wish that this war hadn't begun in the first place. So many lives have been stripped away."

She laughed lightly. "Don't forget that we're bringing a new addition to the Republic, Ani. Our baby is going to change our lives."

I rubbed her back with my thumb, beginning to worry again. I was extremely confused by the fact that my wedding ring had somehow vanished during the night and now Padme was telling me that this baby was going to make a dramatic difference in our lives. What she didn't understand was how concerned I was for _her_ life. I would do anything it took to keep her alive. I couldn't live without her…


	9. Chapter 9

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

He seemed distracted. He held his head in his hand and absentmindedly picked at his food. We were in a high class restaurant and he didn't appear very enthusiastic about it. "Master?"

"Mm?" He lifted his head, eyes wide, and eyebrows raised.

"Are you feeling okay tonight?"

"Not really." I was shocked that he'd actually admitted that to me. Usually The Chosen One was perfect, but I knew that wasn't true as of recently.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked innocently.

He sighed, bowing his head. I took another bite of my food, assuming that he was going to keep whatever it was a secret.

"I was placed on the Council at the request of Chancellor Palpatine."

I dropped my utensils. "Wait," I smiled. "Does that mean you're a Master? Congratulations!"

"No. Your congratulations are a bit premature. I only got a seat. _You _are still a Padawan," he chuckled.

"You're on the Council, but you're still a Knight?"

He nodded. I slid out of my side of the booth and scooted beside him on his side. I wrapped my arms around his waist. "You have a seat on the Council. You should be somewhat excited."

"If I tell you something… can you promise to keep it a secret?" he whispered.

I stared up into his eyes, hoping that this was the moment he'd admit his marriage to me. "Of course, Master."

"The Council," he whispered. "Has assigned me to commit an act of treason. Can you _believe _that?"

"What?" I quietly gasped. "What do they want you to do?"

"They want me to _spy _on the Chancellor."

"Why?"

"The Council doesn't trust him. It's making me angry just talking about it…"

I absentmindedly rubbed his leg, but it seemed to calm him down a bit. "We would get into so much trouble if anyone else found out…"

"I won't tell anyone," I whispered. "I promise. I'd keep _all _of your secrets."

He smiled weakly at me. "You're the only one I trust to keep calm about this situation. Thank you, Ahsoka."

He draped his arm over my shoulders, squeezing me tightly against his side. "You're welcome, Master."

My heart sank when I realized that he was still keeping his marriage under wraps. I'd always keep that secret even if he never officially mentioned it to me. He placed his hands back onto the table as I continued to rub his leg. I laid my free hand on top of his and I felt the ring.

He tensed up a bit beside me, turning his face slowly to stare at me, fear displayed in his eyes. "Thank you for trusting me, Master."

"Of course, Ahsoka," he whispered.

I lifted my hand from his and pulled my food across the table. From the corner of my eye, I saw him finally begin to eat his dinner. Albeit, he ate slowly and kept glancing at me, but at least he was eating.

I allowed the silence to wash over us, though I didn't like it. He didn't seem to mind it, but I _wanted _to hear him speak. Anytime we sat in silence after something awkward, I wanted him to fill the air with his words. I _loved _his voice…

"So how was the teaching today? Did you have any troublesome little children?"

I chuckled. "They were _perfect_, listening to every word I said. You know, unlike yourself," I coughed. "I taught them how to levitate Master Yoda."

"I listen to every word you say!" he laughed. "And I'm sure he appreciated that lesson."

He smiled at me as I shrugged. "It's meant to be fun. I don't expect you to understand that though, Master."

"Hey!" He smacked my hand, the one still resting on his leg, playfully. "I know what fun is! It happens every time you and I go on a mission together."

I rolled my eyes before smiling. "Oh, like when we were –" I paused, thinking back to how hurt he'd been after I was captured on Felucia by Trandoshans. I remembered the way he ran to me, smiling until he finally reached me, and then he blamed _himself _for my capture. "It's always fun when you're around, Master. If someone ever asked me to define 'fun,' I would use you as an example."

He smiled, turning back to look at his food. I lifted my other hand and moved it toward him without thinking. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled at the feeling.

"Ahsoka…?"

I blinked as my fingers reached the back of his head. He stared at me, confused and shocked. I pulled my hands away from his hair and leg, placing them in my lap and I stared down at them. I felt the blue stripes turning darker. "I'm sorry, Master," I whispered, barely audible.

After a few moments of silence, he sighed and his arm draped over my shoulders once again. I leaned against his side as his thumb rubbed my left arm. "I understand what you're going through, Ahsoka, and it's not _wrong. _I just want you to relax and push it out of your mind. If you focus on the Path of the Force lying before you, the desire will eventually dissolve."

How could he expect me to do that when he was committed to a relationship? I looked up into his eyes and saw the understanding along with a hint of regret, possibly for lying to me? His smile made my heart beat ten times faster.

"You've been in love before?"

For one moment, he stiffened, but then he relaxed. "Yes, but I had to get over it. She and I decided to keep things on a professional level."

"Why didn't you want to be with her?"

"I'm _The Chosen One_," he said with disgust. "I had to put my Jedi duties before my feelings. That's what I expect you to do, little one."

"Master –" I was about to reveal the fact that I knew he was lying to me, but his comlink began to beep. I internally sighed as he externally did. He removed his arm from my shoulders, pulling his wrist to his face.

"Skywalker."

"_Anakin, this is Chancellor Palpatine. Would you mind meeting me in the Galaxies Opera House? I wish to speak with you, my boy._"

He glanced up at me apologetically. I smiled weakly and nodded. "Go," I whispered.

"I'm on my way, Chancellor." He closed the connection, frowning at me. "I'm sorry to just leave you here. Do you want me to take you back to the temple? I could just leave my speeder here since the Opera House is just a few minutes away…"

"I won't damage your speeder," I chuckled. "Get going, Master. I'll see you later."

I scooted out of the booth, him following me. He hugged me quickly, so quickly that I barely had a chance to return it. "I'll see you later, Snips."

I sighed, watching his back as he left the restaurant. I sat back down in the booth and stared at his uneaten food.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

After about ten minutes of constant running and dodging random lifeforms, I was finally inside the Opera House. Several well dressed people were in my way and I tried to be as careful as possible as I ran passed them.

I jogged up a few staircases and down several hallways before I reached the Chancellor's personal box. As I neared the box, I heard applause. I slowed down to even my breathing before I entered. I rounded the corner to see the Chancellor watching a performance by the Mon Calamari, _Squid Lake. _With him was his aide, Sly Moore, Senator Concorkill, and his Vice Chairman, Mas Amedda.

I walked passed his guards, entering the lower section of his viewing box. I stopped beside him, leaning down so he could hear me. "You wanted to see me, Chancellor?"

He smiled, turning towards me. "Yes. Anakin, come closer. I have good news!" he whispered. I knelt down beside his seat, glancing at the performance before us, listening intently to what he wanted to say. "Our clone intelligence units have discovered the location of General Grievous. He's hiding in the Utapau system."

"At last," I breathed. "We'll be able to capture that _monster _and end this war."

"I would worry about the collective wisdom of the Council if they didn't select you for this assignment. You're the best choice," he said confidently. "_By far._"

I stared up at him, still trying to catch my breath from the run. "Hm, sit down!" he chuckled. He turned toward his aide, "Leave us." She nodded and stood, displaying no emotion whatsoever. I stood, watching the entire box clear out.

I moved slowly to take her seat beside the Chancellor. "Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will."

"I'm not sure I understand," I whispered.

"You must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council wants control of the Republic. They're planning to _betray _me."

"I don't think –"

"Anakin, search your feelings. You know, _don't you?_"

"I know they don't trust you…"

"Or the Senate. Or the Republic. Or democracy, for that matter.

"I have to admit. My trust in them has been shaken…"

"Why? They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they?" He stared at me like he already knew what was going on behind his back. I stared out at the performance. "They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?"

I blinked back my shock, not believing that he had caught onto the Jedi's plans. The only people that knew about it were the Council, Ahsoka, and myself. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, sighing. "I don't, uh… I don't know what to say."

"Remember back to your early teachings. All who gain power are afraid to lose it. _Even the Jedi._"

"The Jedi use their power for good."

"_Good_ is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power."

"The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards, only about themselves."

"And the Jedi don't?"

"The Jedi are selfless. They only care about others."

We turned back to the performance. I glanced around nervously, waiting for him to fill the silence. "Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagues the Wise?"

"No."

"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a dark lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life," he glanced at me slowly. "He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from… _dying._"

I stared at him, my curiosity growing. "He could actually _save _people from death?"

"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be _unnatural._"

"Well… what happened to him?" I asked, wanting to know if this man were still alive. Perhaps I could seek him out and attempt to learn his ability to save Padme…

"He became so powerful. The only thing he was afraid of was… losing his power, which eventually, of course he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, and then his apprentice killed him in his sleep."

My heart sank into my stomach at his words. "Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself…"

I stared at the performance, frowning deeply as his words sunk in. I wouldn't be able to save Padme from her imminent death. "Is it possible to learn this power?" I asked, curious. I wondered if the apprentice survived…

He turned slowly to glance at me, a mysterious look about him. "_Not from a Jedi._"

I sighed, my depression kicking in. "Excuse me, Chancellor," I whispered, bowing my head. He nodded and waved me off.

"Thank you for coming, Anakin."

I nodded standing and exiting the box. Once I had arrived in the hallway, I contacted Obi-Wan. "_Anakin._"

"Master, is it… possible for me to call a session?"

"_Of course. I'll assemble the Masters. Head directly to the chambers and we'll discuss whatever you need to talk about._"

"I'll be there." I closed the connection and began to make my way out of the opera house, planning on how to tell the Council that I'd received information on Grievous' whereabouts. I immediately regretted giving Ahsoka my speeder. I sighed as I realized that I would have to run all the way across Coruscant to reach the temple…


	10. Chapter 10

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"_Palpatine thinks Grievous is on Utapau?_" Master Mundi questioned as we had all gathered in the Council chambers. He, of course, among others like Master Yoda, was a hologram.

I shifted nervously in my seat, seeing as though Yoda was still on Kashyyyk. I was tense because I wouldn't be able to tell what he was thinking very easily. "A partial message was intercepted in a diplomatic package from the chairman of Utapau."

"_Hm, act on this, we must. The capture of General Grievous will end this war. Quickly and decisively, we should proceed._"

I thought back to the transmission that I'd received from Palpatine while I was heading back to the temple. He'd contacted me, asking where I'd gone, so I'd told him that I was going to inform the Council of his thoughts. He agreed and confidently suggested that I go to Utapau and finish off Grievous. As much as I wanted to go, I knew I'd have to bring this up with the Council. I desperately hoped that I might go on a mission…

"The Chancellor has requested… that _I _lead the campaign."

I saw Yoda's look. It was a look of pure distrust, making me feel guilty for even speaking.

"The Council will make up its own mind who is to go," Windu glared at me. "_Not_ the Chancellor."

"_A Master is needed, with more experience,_" Yoda said.

"_I concur. Master Kenobi should go._"

"_I_ _agree,_" Yoda replied, shooting me down.

"_I,_" Master Mundi said.

"I," Windu spoke. "Very well, Council adjourned."

All of the holograms disappeared, leaving the real life inside of the room. Everyone's stares towards me made me feel uncomfortable. "Master Kenobi," Windu boomed. "You will leave immediately. Dismissed."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, bowing.

I stood from my seat, attempting to leave quickly before Windu's stare could drown me. I made it out of the chamber and Obi-Wan called out for me. "Anakin, wait!"

I turned around as he caught up to me. "Walk with me to the hangar, Anakin."

I nodded silently and we began to head towards the hangar bay. His star cruiser would take him to Utapau and he would go in alone so as not to draw attention to himself.

We walked around a bit until we neared the cruiser. "You're going to need me on this one, Master."

"Oh, I agree. However, it may turn out just to be a wild bantha chase."

"Master," I whispered, making him stop to face me. "I've disappointed you. I haven't been very appreciative of your training. I've been arrogant and I apologize. I've just been so frustrated with the Council."

He smiled. "You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am_ very_ proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be, but be _patient_, Anakin. It will not be long before the Council makes you a Jedi Master."

I smiled and he smiled wider. He nodded and turned to head down the ramp towards his cruiser, knowing it was time to go.

I pulled my cloak around me. "Obi-Wan, may the Force be with you."

He turned around smiling. "Good-bye, old friend. May the Force be with you."

I watched sadly as he continued on his way. I wished desperately that I could go with him, that I could just get off of this planet for a while. I needed some action and I knew that Ahsoka probably did, too. I wondered where in the temple she was right now.

I shook my head, realizing that I needed to go see Padme once again. After I'd left her, I'd begun to miss her and now I wanted to see her more than ever. Obi-Wan was gone for who knows how long. He wouldn't return until Grievous was destroyed or ran off again.

I walked out of the hangar and began to head outside, toward the lot where I hoped my airspeeder was.

Luckily, I was right. I sighed, shaking my head. There was no reason for me to doubt the fact that it was here. Ahsoka was a very good listener, pilot, and friend. She wouldn't bang up the speeder or leave it somewhere.

I hopped in, flying toward Padme's apartment.

When I entered, Padme was humming in another room, working on her laundry. I smiled, walking over to the couch. I laid down on it and thought back to a lot of what's been going on lately. All the stress that was inside of me was washing over into everyone else. I knew that both Padme and Ahsoka were concerned about me, but there was nothing either of them could do. Well, the only thing they _could _do was to keep themselves alive…

I heard a clattering inside a compartment on my belt. I raised my eyebrow, reaching down to open it. The necklace I'd been planning on giving Padme rolled into my hand along with my wedding ring. I sighed in relief, removing my glove to put it on. I saw a holopad on the table and grabbed it.

I laid my head back on the armrest of the couch, glancing at the holopad for a moment. A flash appeared before my eyes and I could see a vague image of Obi-Wan. I lurched into an upright position, throwing my legs over the side of the couch, though I couldn't physically see myself doing it.

"_Save your energy,_" he whispered calmly to her.

Padme's face appeared and she was in pain, breathing heavily. "_I can't._"

"_Don't give up, Padme._"

She shook her head, closing her eyes slowly until her face fell to the side, one last heavy sigh erupting from her lips. The vision drew further from my sight until it vanished and I could see clearly in Padme's apartment.

I glanced at the holopad, losing interest in reading whatever was on it. I put it beside me on the couch as Padme walked out into the living room, folding over one of her robes. I could sense Obi-Wan's Force signature around the room clearly.

She walked behind the couch. "Obi-Wan's been here, hasn't he?"

She reached out and rested a hand on my back as I turned around. "He came by this morning."

"What did he want?" I asked, standing up. I walked beside her into the bedroom.

"He's worried about you. He says you've been under a lot of stress," she whispered.

I stopped in the doorway, sighing. "I feel lost."

"Lost? What do you mean?"

"Obi-Wan and the Council don't trust me," I replied, walking over to the window.

"They trust you with their lives."

"Something's happening. I'm not the Jedi I should be," I said, turning to see her confused look. "I want _more _and I know I shouldn't."

She came closer to me, touching my arm. "You expect too much of yourself."

I rubbed my temples quickly before turning to her. I rested my hand on her waist for a moment. "I found a way to save you."

"_Save_ me?" she whispered, placing her hands on my chest.

"From my nightmares." I moved my hand up to rub arm lightly.

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"I won't lose you, Padme…" I whispered.

"I'm not going to die in childbirth, Ani," she said confidently as I stroked the side of her face. "I promise you."

"No. I promise _you._"

She stared up at me sadly. "Ani, please, don't worry about me. The baby and I are very healthy. Nothing bad is going to happen to either of us."

I leaned down to kiss her lightly, but passionately. I wrapped my arms around her, closing my eyes.

Once we separated, she smiled. "I love you, Anakin."

"And I love you, my beautiful Senator."

She reached up to run her fingers through my hair. My comlink began to beep. I sighed in frustration. "Why is it that I just left and they couldn't tell me whatever it was while I was there?"

"Ani," she whispered. "Calm down, my love. What if it's Ahsoka?"

I sighed, raising my wrist to my face. "Skywalker."

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"_Skywalker,_" he muttered into the com. He sounded really frustrated and I regretted comming him, but I wanted to let him know that we'd just received a mission.

"Master, it's me."

"_Oh, Ahsoka,_" he said, sounding happier. "_Is something wrong?_"

"Why do you always assume that something's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Anyway, I was just letting you know that we've been given a mission. I know you've been looking forward to one and, though you said we couldn't get one for a while, we just did."

"_With you, anything is possible. That's great! What's our objective?_"

"Senator…" I glanced down at my datapad. "_Fang Zar _of Sern Prime was kidnapped earlier today. We are to take a squadron of clones to Jabiim to rescue him. He was last seen in the hands of Count Dooku."

"_Great, Jabiim…_" he sighed. "_We're going to get rained on, so be prepared, Snips. Ready the troops and we'll leave as soon as I get there, okay?_"

"Are you on your way right now?"

"_Mhm,_" he replied. I heard whispering in the background, but he wouldn't know that I could hear it. For all I knew, it was most likely Padme. I knew that's where he would be. "_On my way now, Snips. Meet me in the hangar._"

"All right. I'll see you soon, Master."

I closed the connection, sighing. I wished that I'd kept his ring. He might not have needed it tonight, but I wished I could just put it inside the compartment on my belt and carry it. On missions, he'd get reckless and try to overprotect the others, including myself.

He knew I was capable of defending myself, but he continued to treat me like a youngling. I thought back to one of our most recent – as in two months ago – missions. I had been captured by Bane once again and my Master had charged in, risking his life to save me.

Bane tortured him for three days before he'd figured out a way to escape, that being playing dead. I'd been so terrified that he'd actually perished because of me, but when I saw him wink at me, I'd been so relieved.

Bane certainly hadn't expected him to pull such a stunt and be able to pull it off. Once he was unsuspended, he'd pulled his lightsaber from a shelf and killed Bane. He knew that he would be reprimanded by the Council for doing something that was not the way of the Jedi, but he'd risked that for _me_.

I sighed, heading out of our dorm and walking down the countless hallways until I reached the hangar. Of course, I got there first, so I sat on the deck, waiting for him to arrive.

I pulled my knees to my chest. I stared out at the darkening sky of Coruscant. I saw speeders fly over the temple, heard clones chattering in the main hangar, and felt the tension in the area. I pulled my comlink to my face and contacted Captain Rex. "_Captain Rex._"

"Rex, we've got a mission. Can you ready the others and bring them to the hangar?"

"_Yes, sir._"

"Thank you, Rex," I whispered, closing the connection. I rested my head on the wall for a few minutes, listening to the clones' laughter and the repairs to damaged cruisers and star fighters.

"Are you okay, Snips?"

I jumped, glancing up to see my Master's warm smile. He extended his arm, reaching out for me. I gratefully gripped his hand, nodding. "I'm fine, Master. How about you?"

"Just fine."

He held onto my hand, staring into my eyes. It was the most amazing thing ever because I could easily melt at the sight of them. His eyes drew me in and I could see the real him.

"All set?" he quickly asked, prying his gaze away from me. I did the same, reluctantly pulling my hand out of his.

"You bet I am."

He smirked, playfully punching my arm. "Race you to the cruiser, Snips?"

"You're on, Skyguy," I laughed.

Once again, I assumed he was going to cheat, but he actually played fair.

_He still won._


	11. Chapter 11

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

My Master was asleep on my shoulder. For two hours, he tried desperately to keep himself awake, but he couldn't resist any longer. His close proximity made me feel funny, like I was on some high that I just couldn't get down from. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, holding him close to me.

After a few minutes, he began to moan. His face twisted a little and he began to kiss my neck slowly. His legs and hands moved, one hand rubbing my leg, moving up. As much as I wanted this, it wasn't _right. _"Master," I whispered, nudging him a bit with my shoulder.

I grabbed his hand before he could get any further. "Master, wake up."

He groaned. I felt his muscles tense as he realized what he must have been doing. His face lifted from my shoulder and he stared at me, eyes widened. "Ahsoka, I –"

I put my hand over his mouth. "You didn't do anything _too _stupid, so don't worry. It was just a –"

"I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have fallen asleep!" He jerked out of my arms, pushing himself up into a standing position. I felt his inward anger, so I stood up. I quickly walked over to him, gripping his wrist tightly.

"Master, it was just a dream –"

"Don't try to make me feel better, Ahsoka. It's not working. I _should _have had more control over myself. I don't want to do something that will _hurt _you or _push _you away from me, Ahsoka." His voice was so angry and so pained…

I bit my lip, pushing my forbidden knowledge deeper down into my core. "Master, please, don't do this. That was the first time and the last time that that will ever happen. I promise I won't tell anyone."

He pulled me against his chest, tightly circling his arms around me. "I promise _you _that I will _never _allow myself to do that to you again, Ahsoka."

I rubbed his back slowly. "I know, Master."

We slowly separated our bodies, his hands gripping my shoulders. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be," I whispered, laughing lightly. "There's absolutely nothing to forgive you for. You didn't do anything wrong as far as I'm concerned."

He smiled weakly at me before moving his flesh hand to stroke my cheek. "Thank you, Ahsoka."

Though the hand was gloved, it sent chills up my spine…

"General," a voice announced in the doorway. My Master and I were in the hangar of the cruiser, waiting to be told that we had reached Jabiim. He decided that he didn't want to stay in the dorm we'd been assigned because he didn't want to fall asleep… "We are entering Jabiim's orbit. The star cruiser cannot penetrate the electrical storm, but a small transport ship can."

I stared up at him, watching him nod. "Round up the troops and have them ready for immediate takeoff once the cruiser stops."

"Yes, sir," the clone responded, saluting. The clone left to go find a few of the others.

He turned back to me, smirking. "Ready for a little rain, my Padawan?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. Shili had rains, but Tatooine, however, did not."

He chuckled. "I think I've got you beat. Sandstorms are much worse."

"I won't let you get lost down there, Master."

He laughed, gripping my shoulder. "I'm only afraid that _you _will get lost."

"Let's see who can make it through then, shall we?"

"Snips, you'll fall off of the transport before we even land, so I've already won."

"I will not!" The humor in his eyes and smile made me happy.

"All right, come on, Snips. The troops are boarding the transport."

We ran across the hangar, getting onto the transport. He stood tall, gripping one of the holders above us, and determined beside me. I reached up a bit to reach my holder. After a few minutes, Admiral Yularen gave us the 'okay' and we began to leave the cruiser.

The ship rocked and his arm flew out towards me. "Relax," I whispered, smiling at him. He smirked as he held onto my shoulder.

The storm around us rocked the ship violently. He and several clones groaned a little. I, however, closed my eyes, feeling sick. My grip on the holder slipped, but a strong arm pulled me back before I began to rock around the ship…

I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding onto him for dear life. My eyes were shut tightly…

After a few more minutes, the rocking slowed down until it finally stopped. I knew then that we had landed. I slowly unwound my arms from his body, pulling my head back to open my eyes. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel a little lightheaded, but other than that, I'm okay."

"I got a little worried up there," he chuckled. "I thought you were going to get really sick."

The door slid open and rain poured in on us. He walked off of the ship first, trying to figure out where we were.

I stood in the threshold, watching him open a holomap on a tiny datapad. A really bad feeling washed over me as I began to hear a faint beeping.

He heard it, too, spinning around. I saw a little device counting down. "Explosive!" I screamed.

Before I realized what was happening, I was pulled out of the ship. He pulled me into his arms, running away from the ship as it exploded behind us. I ended up tripping and falling onto the wet, muddy surface. Unfortunately, I dragged him down with me.

I lifted my head to see us both covered in mud. He was breathing heavily, staring at me with widened eyes. "How could we not have known?" he whispered.

I glanced back at the flaming wreckage, seeing pieces of the transport and clones littering the ground. He slammed his fist into the mud, spraying his face. "I knew I should have checked the ship!"

I bit my lip, hating to see the anger and guilt in his expression. I crawled closer to him. "It's not your fault. You didn't know. I didn't know…"

I heard a ship flying overhead. He draped his arm over my back, stopping at my side, to pull me closer. "Stay down," he whispered.

He slowly looked up as the sound faded away. "All right. If you aren't hurt, we still have to rescue the Senator."

He released me, pushing himself out of the puddle to stand. He outstretched his muddy hand for mine and I took it. I stood in front of him, laughing at his face and attire. "Hey, you look _just _as bad as I do."

He bent down for a moment before straightening his posture to smash mud against my face. "Master!" I cried over his laughter.

I wiped my face, smacking some of it into his own. "Cute," he smirked. "I think you look _much _better this way."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Master. You're the one who said we need to rescue the Senator. Let's get a move on."

"Right," he said. He became General Skywalker, hiding the real Anakin Skywalker beneath the carefully crafted soldier's soul.

The rain continued to pour down upon us as we ran through a large tree-infested area. He gripped my hand tightly, not wanting to lose me. Once we reached a clearing, we figured the stronghold was out there. He pulled me behind a tree and began to glance over our surroundings.

He closed his eyes, reaching out into the Force. "Ugh," he grunted, opening his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"There's too much of the dark side's signature. I can't sense the Senator. For all we know, Senator Zar is dead and we could be walking into a trap."

"Master, you always lead us into a trap…"

He turned his head, showing me his frustrated '_knock it off_' look. "Let's see how you like it. _Lead the way, Snips._"

"I didn't mean –"

He motioned for me to move. I sighed, pulling my lightsaber into my hand. "Just watch my back," I whispered, leading him through the remaining trees.

I heard him mutter something along the lines of, "What else am I supposed to watch, Snips?"

Luckily, there was a patch of trees connecting to the large stronghold before us. We both stared up. "That's a lot of climbing…"

"You'd better get started then," he chuckled.

I sighed, beginning to grab onto rocks that jutted out from the cliffside. I looked down to see his back. He was making sure nothing was coming up on us. I could feel his anxiety building.

Once I got a bit of distance from the ground, he began to follow me. I shuddered as I continued my journey to the top. The dark side was very strong here. "It's okay, Ahsoka," he said beneath me. I poked my head over the top of the cliff, glancing at a platform leading into the stronghold.

It was clear, so I threw myself up. I knelt down, waiting for him. I reached my hand out for him as he got closer. He took my hand and I helped him finish the climb.

"I see what you meant earlier," I whispered.

"We'll be fine. We just need to be careful. I've got your back, Snips."

We walked into the building silently. He walked behind me, mainly watching behind us both. I held his hand so he could follow me without taking the risk of bumping into something while glancing back.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"We're getting closer," I whispered. "Ahsoka, scout the next hallway." I paused, releasing her hand. I stared back at where we'd just come from as she silently dashed across the hall.

"Master!" she whispered. I turned around. She was motioning for me to follow her. "The Senator is in here."

I nodded, crossing the hall just as silently as she had. She continued ahead of me, so I carefully backed into the room.

"It's so good to see that you've finally arrived," the Senator said. Ahsoka slashed his bonds and greeted him. I walked back to the doorway, watching for Separatists.

"Mas – ter!" she screamed. I ignited my lightsaber, spinning around quickly. Her lightsaber was under his foot. A blaster was held directly to her montral, an arm restricting her breath. She stared at me in fear, trying to pry the arm from her neck.

"Drop your weapon or I'll kill the girl!"

"Mas – ter! No!"

Tears were running down her face, her fear colliding with my own. "Let her go," I growled.

"Drop your weapon."

I tossed it onto the floor, listening to its deactivation. "_Release her._"

His grip around her neck tightened. I moved and his finger hovered over the blaster's trigger. "Don't move. If either of you wish to survive, you'll allow me safe passage off of this planet. Your Padawan is my hostage now."

"Why are you doing this?"

"The Jedi took my family from me. You destroy building after building, ship after ship, but you _never _consider the lifeforms being held hostage! My wife was killed during your mission, General. The _Defender _collided with the Separatist ship. She was a loyalist and _you _killed her! I've pledged myself to the Separatists to get revenge on you and _only you!_"

I frowned, my heart sinking."I see that you care so deeply about your Padawan. She could be the equivalent of a wife to you or perhaps a daughter. You took one from me as well."

Ahsoka's breath became short, coming and going slower with each breath. He kept tightening around her neck. I reached my hand out, pulling the blaster to me. My other hand reached for the lightsaber, which came to me obediently.

Senator Zar laughed. "And now I snap her little neck!"

"No!" I screamed. Without thinking, I flung my lightsaber at him. The tip pierced through his chest…

He fell to the floor, crushing Ahsoka beneath him. My lightsaber clattered to the floor, deactivating itself. I ran to the body, pushing it off of my Padawan.

Her eyes were closed and she looked absolutely motionless. "Ahsoka! Wake up!" I shook her lightly. "Ahsoka! No… no… no!" Images of my mother's death and Padme's future one crashed down on me, suffocating me. The temperature in my body dropped into the negatives. I thought back to Mortis several months ago. Everything inside of me froze at the sight of her motionless body for the second time…

I pulled her upper body into my arms, cradling her against my chest. Tears began to fall as I rocked us back and forth, closing my eyes.

"M… Mas… Master…" a small voice whispered. My eyes snapped open and I glanced down. Hers were slowly beginning to open, her breathing evening out, and a small smile playing upon her lips.


	12. Chapter 12

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

His arms wound around me tightly. This was the _exact _same hug that he had given me when I woke up on Mortis. He never did tell me what happened then…

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer. Tears began to fall onto my lek and shoulder. He squeezed me tighter as his shoulders shook with his sobs. His had stroked my rear lek lightly. "Master, I'm okay," I whispered.

He pulled back slowly, tears streaking his cheeks. His eyes held so much sadness, but I could see just a hint of happiness. "I thought I lost you," he whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke.

I smiled at him, raising my eye markings. "You didn't honestly think you could get rid of me that easily, did you, Master?"

He laughed, sitting back with one knee bent. He raised his hands to his face, wiping the tears away. He smiled weakly at me, shaking his head. "I don't want to get rid of you."

I moved forward, crawling between his legs. I rested my body against him, laying my head on his shoulder. I threw one arm over his stomach. He circled his arms around me.

I wasn't sure how long we sat like this, but I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. He couldn't either. He smiled and laughed lightly. "I don't want to lose you, Ahsoka…"

More tears rolled down his muddied face. I reached my hand up, stroking his cheek lightly. "I'm sorry for falling into his trap, Master."

All his seriousness returned. "_This _was _not _your fault. You have nothing to apologize for. I pushed you into leading the way…"

"The roles would have been reversed, Master. You know that I'd always give my life for you."

He had no idea how much I meant that. If he were in trouble, I'd offer to take his place. He _always _rescues my life. The moment that I will always remember is when Bane was about to throw me out of the airlock. His expression was _so _pained as Bane threatened my life. "_I can't let you die, Ahsoka…_"

"Are you okay?" he whispered, bringing me back to reality.

"I'm fine. The sooner we get away from his body, the better I'll feel."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I agree."

I could see the haunted look in his eyes as he glanced toward the Senator's body. I couldn't bring myself to look with him because it was rather disturbing. He reached out his hands, pulling out lightsabers into them. He hooked his lightsaber onto his belt, handing me mine.

He held onto me as he pushed himself up. "Come on, Snips."

He started to leave the way we had come. He didn't seem as alert as he had been upon our arrival. I ran to catch up with him, gripping his hand. "Don't leave me," I whispered.

He held my hand tighter. "You better keep up if you don't want to be left behind," he said, smirking.

We exited the stronghold without any problems. We stepped out, rain hitting our bodies once more. "We need to find some way off of this planet…"

He glanced around and I followed his gaze. He glanced at a landing platform with a small Separatist ship on it. "And _there _is our way off. We just need to tell the Admiral that it's us and not a Seppie," he laughed. He pulled me alongside him as we ran to the ship.

He forced the ramp to lower. Several droids were standing at the top, talking. "Jedi!" one screeched, turning towards us.

"You always lead us into something, Skyguy…"

"Zip it, Snips," he sighed, pulling his lightsaber into his hands, igniting it. He sliced through the droids with no problem. "Don't trash the parts," he called back to me as he ran to the cockpit.

I rolled my eyes, smiling. He'd been working on several small projects during our long missions. He hasn't had a chance to continue them as of recently though. He'd actually been trying to build a spare mechanical arm should the current one ever get damaged…

I found a small pack in a storage closet and began to put the smaller – or in his words, '_useful_' – parts into it. I carried the pack into the cockpit, taking a seat in the empty seat beside him. "Everything okay, Master?"

"It will be when we get out of here."

The ship rocked through the atmosphere because of the storm, but not as much as our transport had. This ship was meant to fly though such a storm.

We left the atmosphere to see the _Resolute _hovering above us. He pressed several buttons until he opened a link. "_Unidentified ship, please state your name and business._"

"This is General Skywalker and Commander Tano. We could like to board, Admiral willing."

"_Opening the hatch now, sir._"

He closed the link and turned to me, smirking. "What?" I laughed.

"Who gets the first shower?"

"Me," I chuckled. "You take too long most of the time. What do you do that takes that long?"

"I just enjoy the water," he shrugged. "It's nice after a really difficult mission."

He steadily flew into the hangar bay, landing. We stood and he allowed me to head off first. We stepped off of the ship and were met by Admiral Yularen. "Might I ask what happened to your transport ship, sir?"

He frowned. "It blew up." He continued passed the Admiral, dragging me behind him.

"And the Senator?"

My Master stopped in his tracks, his mechanical fingers clenching around my wrist. I bit my lip, trying not to cry out in pain. "He's _dead._"

"Shall I inform –?"

"I've got it, Admiral. Thank you."

The Admiral nodded, walking away from us. Blood was coming out of my lip now. I whimpered quietly, drawing the unwanted attention of my Master. His expression softened and his grip loosened around my wrist, completely falling away. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

With my other hand, I wiped the small tears away. "It's okay."

He put his hand on my back, leading me out of the hangar and into a secluded hallway. He gripped my shoulders, bending down slightly to level with my eyes. "Don't tell me it's okay when it's not."

I smiled weakly at him, growing worried though as he inspected my wrist. I bit my lip again. He glanced up at me, raising his eyebrow. "I'm no medical droid, but I think you're just a little too secretive when it comes to injuries. Did you break your wrist?"

I looked away from him. "I can feel the fractures, Ahsoka. Talk to me or I'll be _forced _to take you to the medbay."

"Master, please… please, promise me that you won't get upset."

His eyebrows rose again. "I promise?" I could hear the question in his voice, but I kind of wanted to tell him. I'd hid this from him for so long…

"You… when you're upset…" I glanced up at him, seeing anger flash through his eyes. "Master, no!" I screamed as his slammed his fist – luckily, the mechanical one – against the durasteel wall.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

My mechanical hand began to vibrate after it hit the wall. "Master!" she screamed again, her voice pleading. She gripped my wrist before I could hurl it at the wall again. "You promised you wouldn't get upset!"

"Why did you keep this from me?" I asked, gripping her shoulder.

"I didn't want you to worry about me…"

I gaped at her. "Ahsoka, you almost _died _today. You know how much I worry about you regardless of the situation. I believe that telling me that _I _broke your wrist is important. When did I do this?"

"Almost… almost a year ago, Master…"

"You hid this from me… for a _year?_" I shouted. "What else aren't you telling me?"

She flinched when I raised my voice, stepping back. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "I'm sorry," she whispered. I heard small sobs erupting from her.

I turned quickly, pulling her against my chest. Her hands rested on my chest, tightly gripping my vest.

"I'm sorry for snapping. You were only trying to prevent this, Ahsoka." I pulled back slowly, leveling my eyes with hers. "I'm _always_ worried about you…"

She wiped her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying again. I noticed a little pool of blood on her lip. I raised my hand and, with my thumb, wiped the blood away. Despite her best efforts, she continued to cry. With my other hand, I stroked the side of her face, wiping the tears away as they fell.

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered. She stared up at me, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. What was she hoping for? "I never will again."

She smiled as I wiped away the final traces of her tears. "I knew you would worry, so I chose to keep the pain to myself. I was still able to fight to the best of my ability. I also know that you'd never intentionally hurt me. You care too much about the people closest to you."

"I hope you know that you're one of those people," I smiled.

She came closer, pressing her body against mine. "I'm glad to be one of them, Master." Her hands rested on my hips and she gave off such a wave of joy.

"All right, Snips," I chuckled. "Go hit the shower."

I heard her sigh as she let go. "Is there something else that you want to tell me?"

"Not –" she sighed again. "Master, what are we going to tell the Council?"

I rubbed her cheek. "You let me handle that, okay? I'm going to give the report after we settle on Coruscant."

"I'll go with you."

"I'd rather you didn't. Not this time, Snips."

"Why?"

The only reason I didn't want her to come with me was because I could feel the scolding about attachments coming. Obi-Wan always upset me with those talks. I did not need it from the Council. I opened my mouth to speak just as my comlink beeped. I sighed. "Skywalker."

"_General,_" Admiral Yularen's voice boomed. "_Shall we set course for Coruscant?_"

"Yes, Admiral. Jump to lightspeed and contact me when we arrive."

"_Yes, sir._"

I closed the connection and looked up to see Ahsoka out of sight. I put my face in my palm, sighing. I began to head down the halls until I reached our shared quarters. I heard the shower water running, so I relaxed onto the floor. I just lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.

I closed my eyes, backtracking to Mortis. "_You're growing too attached to her,_" Obi-Wan whispered to me on the way back.

He was so right…

Fighting Ahsoka had been the hardest thing I've ever done. I didn't want to do it, but I wouldn't just allow her to kill me. It had been so hard to control the anger and sadness that overwhelmed me while fighting her and after the Son stole her life. I felt so satisfied when I ran him through…

I felt so much better about myself when she was resurrected. I had been – "Master?"

I opened my eyes, turning my head to see my Togruti Padawan wrapped in a towel. Her lekku were still dripping. "Yeah, Snips?"

"Why are you on the floor?"

"Just relaxing." I groaned as I stretched my arms. My wrist snapped a bit, but that was normal, I guess.

I pushed myself up off of the floor. "All right, Snips. I'm going to get in. You get dressed."

I passed her and I couldn't help but notice how nice she smelled. It was similar to one of Padme's perfumes.

I smiled, shaking my head as I entered the refresher. I removed my gloves, staring at the wedding ring. "_I'll always love you, Ani._" I slid it off, placing it beside the gloves.

I stripped the remainder of my clothes, stepping into the shower. I turned the hot water on, moaning as it washed over my body. It never seemed to matter how hot the water got. In fact, the hotter, the better. One time, my skin was almost similar to Ahsoka's…

I smiled, remembering how she almost collapsed when she saw me.

I washed myself, finishing shortly after. I let the water wash over my stiff back, beginning to relax. I heard a knock on the door. "Master, are you almost done?"

"Yeah, one minute, Snips," I called out.

I made sure there was nothing left in my hair before I turned the water off. I stepped out, grabbing the spare towel, wrapping it around my waist. I walked out to see her sitting on my bed, staring down at the floor. She lifted her head, frowning. "Give me a minute to get dressed, and then we'll talk, okay?"

She nodded. I walked over to my pack beside her, pulling my outfit out. I glanced at her shaking legs. "Wow, whatever you have to say is _really _getting to you."

"Hurry up, Master," she said, growing impatient.

I quickly walked back into the refresher, dressing myself. It only took a minute. I locked my belt around my waist, slid my ring back onto my finger, and pulled both gloves on. Now for those _stubborn _boots…

Oddly enough, they weren't that difficult today. I walked back out to sit beside her. "What's on your mind?"

She leaned against me. "You've had some close calls in the past. How do you stay so strong and controlled after coming near your end?"

That was a really tough question. "Well," I paused, trying to form something that might explain why I am the way I am. "I push it out of my mind. I know that I have important people to save or protect. I have to keep everyone alive and I can't let something like my own death stop me."

"Would _my _death stop you?"

She stared up at me, biting her lip again. I closed my eyes. "Your death would _kill _me. I don't know what I'd do, Ahsoka. You and I have grown so close. Losing you…" I felt tears brimming in my eyes. I pictured her paled face, the blank eyes. "I can't imagine my life without you…"

I opened my eyes, seeing her staring at me with tears in her eyes as well. I wound my arms around her. "You mean the _galaxy _to me, Ahsoka."

I felt her happiness wash into me as she hugged me. It was such a nice feeling. It was something I rarely felt now. Padme and Ahsoka made up the stars of my universe. They were the beautiful twin suns of Tatooine…


	13. Chapter 13

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I groaned, rolling over. I was facing my sleeping Master. I couldn't remember a lot of what happened last night. He drank a little, but I only had a sip… I think. I do remember him pouring out how afraid he was of losing me, but that was pretty much it. He giggled uncontrollably for the remainder of the night, offering me drink after drink, until he finally crashed.

I lifted the blanket to see us both _fully _clothed. I sighed in relief, staring at his face. His hair was a mess and he looked _sad._

I scooted closer to him, kissing his forehead. "Everything is going to be okay, Master."

He moaned, his lips parting. I raised my hand, lightly sliding my finger over his lower lip. "Mm…"

I pulled my hand back as he began to shift beside me. His eyes slowly opened. "Ahsoka…? What… what happened?" he whispered, sleep still evident in his voice.

"You passed out."

"I did?"

"Yep."

He pushed himself up, his mechanical arm shaking slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he sighed. "Muscles are just really stiff."

I watched him continue to express his pain. His hand was shaking uncontrollably. His comlink began to beep behind me. Before I could spin to grab it, his torso was resting over my hip. I laughed as he answered with his normal, "Skywalker."

"_General, we are arriving on Coruscant. We are pulling out of hyperspace now._"

"Thank you, Admiral," he responded, closing the connection.

He plopped down beside me again, resting one hand beneath his head. "How are you feeling, Master?"

"_Hung over_," he muttered, rubbing his temple with his other hand. "How many glasses did I have? Usually I'd only have one or two…"

"I'd say five or six. I think I might've had one." He had been really down during dinner…

"_You _drank?" he whispered, adjusting his expression from relaxed and hung over to worried and hung over.

"Last I knew, I only had a sip, but I can't remember most of last night."

He sighed, flipping over onto his back, covering his face with his arm. "I'm a really bad influence to you, Snips. I can't believe that I allowed you –"

I put my hand on his mouth, silencing him. "I'm going to be upset with you if you start apologizing. I could have said no to your offers, but I wanted to try it."

I moved my hand back, slowing tracing his warm lips as I did so. "I'm not very happy with either of us right now, Ahsoka."

"I didn't expect you to be," I shrugged.

"Can we… can we just keep this between us? If the Council found out that I got you drunk on _top _of killing the Senator –"

"_I _wasn't drunk," I clarified. "_You_ were."

"You drank."

"I know!" I yelled. "I wanted to!"

He stared at me with a very angry expression. He jumped over me without touching me. He walked across the room to the door, stopping in the threshold. His hand clutched the door frame and I stared at his back. "Master –"

He held his left hand up. "Just be quiet," he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear it.

I rolled off of his bed, standing to walk towards him. "What's wrong?"

His eyes were closed as he shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking about something." He opened his eyes, turning to smile weakly at me. "Don't worry."

I tugged on his arm until he walked back into the room. The door hissed as it closed behind him. I reached up to stroke his cheek. He looked so hurt as he stared down at me. No amount of friendship between us could ever help him. I saw his electrifying blue eyes in their dull state, worry lines creasing his forehead, and an unchanging frown plastered onto his beautiful lips.

"Talk to me, Master."

He sighed, twisting away from me. I firmly held onto his arm, turning him back. "Master, you can tell me anything. I won't tell _anyone._ You know that."

"I'll feel like I'm beginning to lose you," he whispered, his eyes finally meeting mine again. "I feel like we're drifting further apart with each passing moment."

I stroked his cheek again. "You won't lose me, Master. I'll always be here for you. I'll support you even in your worst moments."

After I said that, a _very _bad feeling washed over me. I shuddered and his eyes livened, concern for me expressing itself. "Sorry, Master. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We were talking about _you, _so let's get back to that, okay?"

"I don't really want to talk about me anymore…"

"Too bad," I smiled. "Is anything else on your mind?"

He walked over to his bed, pulling me with him. If I didn't know him better, I might think he was trying to pull something on me. We sat down and, once again, I found myself hoping that this was the moment that he finally let me in.

I rubbed his leg, encouraging him to break down his walls for me. "I have dreams of people close to me. They aren't of happiness, but… of _death._ I can hear the screams, see the pain…" He turned to look at my face, pained. "It's _killing _me."

His comlink began to beep once again. He didn't answer it, sighing in response. "We're on Coruscant," he whispered. "We'll continue this conversation another time, all right?"

I nodded. "Promise?"

"I promise," he responded sincerely. He patted my leg, forcing a smile, before he stood up.

He walked away, letting out one last heavy sigh. I followed closely behind him, not being able to take my eyes away from him. We walked down to the hangar in absolute silence. I felt myself drawn to him, wanting more than his 'brother-like' hugs and such. I wanted him to be _more _than my big brother or Master.

I wanted him to _love _me. I wanted him to love me the way he loved Padme. Sure, he's known her about four times longer than he's known me, but I've fallen more than a hundred percent in love with him. I hoped that a part of him – no matter how big or small that part may be – _loved _me.

I saw him turn to glance at me over his shoulder. He still looked tired, stressed, but most of all, he was still hung over. The loud buzzing and repairs going on in the hangar were beginning to bother him. He rubbed his temples as we continued to walk. We made our way onto the _Twilight. _He slowly flew us off of the _Resolute._ He preferred to leave this way so he could get back to the temple for some resting time, but he had to speak with the Council right away to give his report.

There would be no rest for General Skywalker…

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I rubbed my temples once again as we neared the temple. My head was beginning to pound, but I guess I'd have to deal with it.

Once we arrived at the temple, I flew into the hangar. We stood and began to leave the ship. I grabbed her wrist before she could get out of my sight. "I want you to get some rest, Snips, especially since you had your first drink last night. Go relax, meditate, okay?"

She stared up at me sadly. I knew she didn't want to leave me alone to the Council today, but I wanted her to. It would be difficult recounting her near-death experience to the Council. I didn't want them to pester her for further information. She nodded, turning away from me. "I'll see you in a little bit."

"See you then, Master," she whispered. I sighed, watching her walk towards our quarters.

I headed towards the Council chambers to see only Windu there. "I've been waiting for you. Admiral Yularen informed me of your mission and that you were coming back today. How is Padawan Tano?"

I clenched my teeth together in anger. I had told the Admiral that I would take care of this. "She's all right. I sent her to our quarters to relax. Is that okay?"

"Of course. She is still young, Skywalker. Now, come with me. We must go to the war room."

I nodded, following him out of the chamber and down several hallways until we reached the war room.

A large holoprojector was in the center of the room. Master Mundi, Secura, and Yoda all gathered around as holograms. They were discussing the recent information of the Battle of Kashyyyk. That is, until Commander Cody appeared before us.

"_Master Windu, may I interrupt? General Kenobi has made contact with General Grievous and we have begun our attack._"

"Thank you, Commander." Cody nodded and disappeared just as quickly as he had arrived.

Windu turned to me. "Anakin, deliver this report to the Chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue to his intentions."

"Yes, Master," I nodded, leaving the room.

I ran outside to my airspeeder, hopping into it. I flew towards the Senate building and began to head up to the Chancellor's office.

Once I arrived, I saw him staring at a red, see-through holoscreen. Upon hearing my footsteps, the screen disappeared and he began to spin around.

"Chancellor, we've just received a report from Master Kenobi. He has engaged General Grievous." I stared at him, waiting for some reaction that Windu might have been looking for.

"Then I hope that Master Kenobi is up to the challenge."

"I should be there with him…"

"It's upsetting to me to see that the Council doesn't seem to fully appreciate your talents. Don't you wonder why they won't make you a Jedi Master?"

"I wish I knew," I whispered. "More and more, I get the feeling that I'm being excluded from the Council."

He nodded. "I know there are things about the Force they're not telling me.

"They don't trust you, Anakin. They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control." He stood, placing his hand on my back, leading me out of his office. "You must break through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you. Let me help you to know the subtleties of the Force."

"How do you know the ways of the Force?"

"My mentor taught me everything about the Force, even the nature of the dark side."

I walked around him. "You know the _dark side?_" I asked, anger building up.

"Anakin, if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study _all_ its aspects. Not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a… larger view of the Force."

He began to circle me slowly. I moved with him, holding the hilt of my lightsaber beneath my robe. "Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the dark side of the Force and you will be able to save your _wife _from certain death."

"_What_ did you say?"

"Use my knowledge, I beg you."

I ignited my lightsaber, holding it towards him. "You're the Sith Lord!"

"I know what's been troubling you. Listen to me. Don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council. Ever since I've known you, you've been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of significance, of conscience."

I stayed my blade, growing angrier. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I would certainly like to." He turned away from me, staring out the window.

"I know you would. I can feel your anger. It gives you _focus. Makes you stronger…" _he turned to face me once again. I deactivated my blade.

"I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi Council."

"Of course, you should, but you're not sure of their intentions, are _you?_"

"I will quickly discover the truth of all this."

"You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. _The power to save Padme._"

I turned, running out of the office.


	14. Chapter 14

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I ran through the halls of the temple, searching frantically for Master Windu. I passed someone who might know where he was. "Excuse me," I said breathlessly. "Do you know where Master Windu is?"

"He is in the hangar."

"Thank you!" I bowed my head respectively before running towards the hangar.

As I entered, he was standing in the center conversing with two other Masters. "Master Windu, I must talk to you."

"Skywalker," he greeted, turning to face me. The others walked away and we began walking towards his transport at the far end of the hangar. "We just received word that Obi-Wan has destroyed General Grievous. We're on our way to make sure the Chancellor returns emergency power back to the Senate."

I sighed. "He won't give up his power. I just learned a terrible truth. I think Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord."

He stopped in front of me, shock evident on his face. "_A Sith Lord?_"

"Yes, the one we've been looking for."

"How do you know this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He knows the ways of the Force," I replied. "He's been trained to use the dark side."

"Are you sure?" How could he not believe me? I wouldn't lie about something this important and crucial to the Jedi.

"_Absolutely._"

"Then our worst fear has been realized," he whispered sadly, looking away from me. He refocused on me only a moment later. "We must move quickly if the Jedi Order is to survive."

We began walking towards his transport again, but quicker. "Master, the Chancellor is very powerful. You'll need my help if you're going to arrest him."

"For your own good, stay out of this affair. I sense a great deal of confusion in you, young Skywalker. There is much fear that clouds your judgment."

"I _must _go, Master."

"No," he said, ending that bit of conversation. "If what you've told me is true, you will have gained my trust," he said, walking in front of me to display that he meant what he said. "But for now, remain here. Wait in the Council Chambers until we return."

He turned and got onto his transport with a few of the other Masters. "Yes, Master," I muttered.

The ship roared as it began to lift from the floor. The wind blew my robes and hair back a bit. I watched his transport for a moment before turning around to leave.

I walked to the Council chamber, taking my seat. It felt cold and awkward since I was alone. This was never a good thing. Being alone meant that my mind had time to wander.

I glanced around the room slowly, thinking about the possibility that what I'd just done might be wrong. There was a small chance that I could have ruined any chance of saving Padme, but I could preserve the Order.

"_You know, don't you? If the Jedi destroy me, any chance of saving her will be lost_," his voice echoed in my mind. It ran through my body, making me feel as if I was making the wrong choice.

I breathed heavily, almost painfully. I felt Padme reaching out to me from across the city. I stood, slowly walking to the large window. I watched the traffic only for a moment before seeing the building I'd come to call my home.

I felt her worry, assuming that she knew what I was thinking. I would do anything and everything in my power to save her, but would I go so far as turning to the dark side to accomplish that?

I felt tears beginning to form, a lump rising in my throat as I realized the consequences of either choice. Becoming a Sith would mean that I would become power hungry. I would betray everything I'd come to know, I would betray Obi-Wan. If I remained a Jedi and helped destroy Palpatine, I would lose Padme forever, most likely along with my child.

Sadness overtook me as I stared out of the window. Tears slowly trailed down from my eyes. It hurt to choose either option, but I _knew _what I had to do. I turned away from the window.

I left the chamber, running back down to the hangar. I pressed a button on the control panel, opening the hangar door. I ran down the strip jumping onto the wing of my star fighter. I hopped in and hit the controls, closing the canopy.

Risking my way of life for the person I loved the most seemed to be the best choice, no matter how much it would hurt me in the end. The only thing I wanted right now was for my wife to survive because, without her, I had no chance of survival.

I flew out of the hangar and across the city until I reached the Senate building. I landed on a platform, glancing out of the canopy to see the building looking normal as ever. The Jedi transport wasn't too far away from me. Once I landed, I slammed the control panel to open the canopy.

Once it began rising, I leapt from the seat, running down the wing of the star fighter. I dashed across the never ending red carpet in the entrance of the Senate building.

I ran up to the Chancellor's office, seeing the door wide open. I dashed inside to see Master Windu holding his purple saber directly at Palpatine who was cornered on the floor.

"You are under arrest, _my lord_," Windu sneered.

I crossed the room, coming closer to them. "Anakin! I told you it would come to this!" Palpatine muttered, barely audible below me. I glanced away from Windu to stare down at him. "I was right! The Jedi are taking over!"

"The oppression of the Sith will never return," Windu said, staring intently down at Palpatine, wishing to kill him. "_You _have _lost._"

"No," Palpatine said, mocking Windu. "No, no. _You _have lost!"

Lightning flew out of his hands, crashing against Windu's blade. I turned away, shielding my eyes as the blinding light became stronger. "He's a traitor!" Palpatine screamed to me over Windu's grunts of effort to withstand the force of the lightning.

"He is the traitor!" Windu said, screaming. I stared up at him.

He continued to grunt as he held his own against the lightning. "I have the power to save the one you love!"

I felt uncertainty overtaking me as I looked at him. He was beginning to weaken, transforming into a weaker being. "You must choose!"

I realized that I had to do this in order to save Padme. I couldn't lose her. There was no way I could risk her life because I wanted to become a Jedi. I raised my head, glaring at Windu.

"Don't listen to him, Anakin!" Windu pressed his blade down, forcing the lightning along with it.

"Don't let him kill me!" Palpatine cried out, finally giving in.

I raised my arm, shielding myself from the blinding light. I was either hoping that I would end Windu or that Windu would end Palpatine and save me from the regretful choice that I was doomed to make.

"I can't hold it any longer! I – I – I – I can't… I've become… weaker… I am too… weak… Anakin!"

Windu pressed down further, finally exhausting Palpatine. "Help me!" Palpatine cried out.

Palpatine grunted in pain as Windu held his blade out once more, taunting Palpatine to try it again. "I – I – I can't hold on any longer…"

"I am going to end this once and for all," Windu said, determined.

This was my chance to stop all of this nonsense. "You can't! He must stand trial!"

"He has control of the Senate _and _the courts! He's too dangerous to be left alive."

"I'm too weak!" He made sounds indicating that he was in an extreme amount of pain. "Don't kill me! Please!"

"It's not the Jedi way!" I said, pleading. "He must live!"

Windu raised his head, staring darkly down at Palpatine. "Please, don't!"

"I need him!" I yelled angrily.

Windu raised his blade, getting ready to strike down my only chance of happiness. "Please, don't!"

"No!" I screamed against my will, pulling my lightsaber into my hand. I ignited it and swung in one swift motion, beheading Windu. His body stood and Palpatine sat up slightly, screaming, "Power! Unlimited Power!"

Lightning flew out of his hands toward the body until it flew out of the window. I watched, my eyes threatening to go blind from the intense light before me. Once the body had vanished, the lightning ceased. "Ah," Palpatine said, sounding relieved. His head fell back as he relaxed.

My breath became short as tears streaked my face once again. I felt devastated. This all felt so _right _when I knew it shouldn't. "What have I _done?_"

I stumbled backwards, falling onto a seat. I released my lightsaber absentmindedly, vaguely hearing it clatter to the floor beneath me.

I began to hyperventilate as Palpatine pushed himself off of the floor. He walked closer to me. "You're fulfilling your destiny, Anakin."

I lowered my head, continuing to hyperventilate. "Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Force."

"I will do…" I began breathlessly, raising my head. "Whatever you ask…"

"Good," he said, sounding and feeling pleased.

"Just… _help me _save Padme's life," I pleaded. I shook my head, lowering it once again. "I can't live without her…"

I realized how desperate I sounded, but I _was _desperate for his assistance. "To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together…" he trailed off slightly, watching me lift myself from the seat, kneeling before him on the floor. "I know we can discover the secret."

"I _pledge _myself… to your teachings…" I announced, my eyes never leaving his. He smiled darkly at me and it appeared as though he already knew this was going to happen.

"Good…"

I lowered my head, staring at the floor. "The Force is _strong _with _you…_" he said.

I raised my head painfully to stare at him once again. "A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth…" he paused momentarily, watching me.

"_Vader._"

I nodded, immediately taking on my new title. "Thank you… my Master…"

"Rise."

I slowly pushed myself off of the ground, watching him walk towards his desk.

"Because the Council did not trust you, my young apprentice, I believe you are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot." He turned to face me. "When the Jedi learn what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all the Senators." He began to pull a hood over his face.

"I agree. The Council's next move will be against the Senate."

His face was now concealed within the shroud of his hood. "Every single Jedi, including your friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic."

"I understand, Master."

"We must move quickly. The Jedi are _relentless._ If they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. First, I want you to go to the Jedi temple. We will catch them off balance. _Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate, show no mercy._ Only then, will you be strong enough with the dark side to save Padme."

I nodded. "What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy?"

"Their betrayal will be dealt with. After you have killed all the Jedi in the temple, go to the Mustafar system, wipeout Viceroy Gunray and the Separatist leaders. Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy… and we shall have peace."

I nodded, pulling my robes around me as I spun around. I exited the office, heading back to my star fighter to fly to the temple. I commed Rex. "Rex, come in."

"_Yes, sir?_"

"Get the troops prepared. Meet me outside of the temple. The Jedi have turned against the Republic and we are to exterminate them."

"_Yes, sir. We will meet you there._"

I jumped into the star fighter, flying back towards the temple. I landed at the base of the stairs, awaiting the arrival of my full battalion. _We would purge the Jedi._


	15. Chapter 15

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I lounged around for a few minutes. I impatiently waited for my Master to come into our dorm, but there was no indication that he would enter anytime soon. I wondered if he had gotten horribly reprimanded for what had happened on Jabiim…

I sat up on my bed, reaching out into the Force. He wasn't even in the temple. I sighed, getting up off of the bed. He was probably with Padme.

I stopped in the middle of the room. _That was perfect!_

If he was with Padme, I could tell them both that I knew their secret. I couldn't hold it in much longer because I saw him every day. It hurt to lie to him. I've lied to him countless times, but those lies hadn't been very important.

The lies that stood out the most were every time he'd ask how I was doing. I knew he was concerned for me, but I always told him I was fine despite the fact that my feelings for him were killing me. A year after being his Padawan, I had honestly hoped that he might fall in love with me.

Had I known he was married, I might have tried to stop myself.

The secrets I kept from him began to crush me. I _am _in love with my Master and I _am _hiding the fact that I knew he's secretly married to his longtime friend.

I pulled my robe out of the closet my Mater and I shared. I threw it on and ran down to the hangar, searching quickly. I found an open airspeeder and hopped into it.

The airspeeder had similar control Master Skywalker's speeder. It lifted from the floor, dashing out into Coruscant's busy traffic. Tonight felt _different _for some reason…

My chest felt tighter for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was the anxiety of finally facing my Master, telling him the truth. I hoped beyond hope, desperately, that he and Padme wouldn't be too upset with me…

I landed on the balcony of Padme's apartment. I couldn't see or hear either of them…

"Ani, did you bring –" Padme walked out of the bedroom to see that I wasn't who she was hoping I would be. "Ahsoka!" she cried out happily.

She was wearing a long blue nightgown that completely put her baby on display. I hadn't been this close to her in months, so I wasn't prepared for this. She hugged me as tightly as she could without hurting herself or her baby. _My Master's baby…_

"Padme," I breathed, smiling at her.

"What brings you by?"

"I was actually hoping to talk to you. Is Master Skywalker around?"

She gave me a very guarded look. "Should he be here?"

"That's what I'm here to discuss, Padme."

She looked shocked, tugging me back towards her couch. We sat down, facing each other. "Did something happen to Anakin…?"

I shook my head. "He's fine. We just returned from Jabiim earlier. I wanted to talk to you both, but, seeing as though my Master isn't here, I'll just speak with you. I think it might be a bit easier if I spoke to you both separately anyway…"

She nodded, feeling relieved that her husband was all right. "Padme," I sighed. "I followed my Master out one night. He came _here._ I know he married you. I know you're carrying his child."

"He is _so _strictly against forming –"

"I _know _you two are married. He isn't very good at hiding things. I've seen the ring."

"Ahsoka… I don't know what to say…"

"Why aren't you upset with me? I followed him and discovered your secret."

She smiled weakly, rubbing her stomach. "I kept telling him that you would find out. He kept saying that he'd tell you, but I see that he never got around to it."

"He's been so worried about you, Padme. He hasn't got anything else on his mind…"

She lowered her gaze, frowning. "I'm sorry that he hasn't been a very good Master for you as of recently. I told him to stop worrying…"

"It's not your fault. He's letting it get to him. I know you won't die, Padme."

She smiled. "That's what I've been trying to tell him as well."

I stared down at my hands, biting my lip. I felt slightly awkward, seeing as though this was my Master's wife and I had feelings – strong feelings – for him…

"What's on your mind, Ahsoka?"

"Nothing important…"

"I'm no Jedi, but I know you're keeping something hidden."

Somehow she managed to pick up on something that a skilled Jedi Knight couldn't. I lifted my head to see her staring at me, concerned. "I'm your friend. You can tell me anything."

"You'll be upset."

"Ahsoka, you mean a lot to me. You're almost like a daughter or sister to Anakin and me. I'm sure I'd react better than him though."

"I'm…" I trailed off, watching her eyes. "I'm in love with Master Skywalker!"

She stared at me, shocked. "I'm sorry, Padme! I haven't done anything to jeopardize –"

"Shh," she whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know you wouldn't do anything. Ani told me about your crush on him, but I know he's faithful. I'm not saying that he doesn't love you because I know he does. He's very compassionate and a part of him would die if something happened to you."

"You aren't –"

"I _understand_," she smiled. "That you two share a bond. I've never been jealous of that bond. I'm glad you were brought into his life. You shaped him into the man he is now."

I smiled wider. "I was stupid to think that no one would understand my feelings. I'm glad I came to you, Padme."

"I'm glad you came, too."

"How do you think he'll react?"

"He'll be a little upset when he finds out you followed him, but he won't be too harsh on you. I'm sure he loves you, Ahsoka. As for your feelings, he'll probably calmly tell you that he cares about you, but you need to move on."

I nodded, lowering my gaze. "A part of me wants him, but I know I can't have him. He belongs to you."

"He doesn't _belong _to me. He's no slave. Ahsoka, this is a normal feeling for everyone that's close to someone."

"I didn't mean for it to sound that way…"

"I know," she whispered. "It's a very touchy thing for us. Neither of us considers the other as a belonging. You know about his past right?"

"Yes…"

"He storms out of the room when I bring it up. I've claimed that I belong to him and he gets upset, leaving me alone here."

I honestly couldn't see my Master acting that way. I could understand that he would get upset, but would he really leave her all alone? "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she laughed. "Just warning you to be careful of sensitive topics. I'm surprised that he hasn't drawn his lightsaber on me yet."

"He can't live without you," I sighed.

"Nor can he live without _you._"

I smiled to myself, realizing how true that was. My Master had admitted that he couldn't live without me. He said he wouldn't know what to do if something happened to me. He would be a _mess _without either of us.

I'd never be able to take Padme's place, but I'm sure she could take mine…

"Ahsoka, you mean a lot to Anakin. He would never do anything to hurt you. He's had nightmares before about you. I heard him promise that he'd keep you safe. You're in good hands, believe me."

I smiled and glanced out the window. "What in the name of the Force?" I screamed, lurching into a standing position. Padme mimicked my actions, running to the window with me.

_The Jedi temple was burning._

**POV: Anakin Skywalker **_(during the early part of Ahsoka and Padme's conversation.)_

I pulled my hood over my head, lightsaber in hand as I marched up the steps into the Jedi temple. A whole battalion marched behind me. The five hundred first legion – my men – were following my orders. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the Commander who always stood at my side. For her sake, I hoped beyond hope that she was somewhere far away from the temple.

The darkness surrounding us made this particular event all the more depressing. I was leading my men into a slaughterhouse where all of the Jedi would be exterminated. My robes waved around me with the wind, the clones' boots softly crashing against the concrete beneath us.

We passed through a narrow hall of light and I began to feel myself becoming colder from the inside. Everything I would do from this point on was the actions of a Sith Lord, a fallen Jedi. A part of me still hoped that I wouldn't meet Ahsoka in these halls, for if I did, I wouldn't be able to kill her. _I couldn't kill her._

I could sense the light side becoming weaker as Jedi across the galaxy were executed by their _loyal _clones.

My battalion and I entered, beginning our slaughter. I ignited my azure blade, beheading most of the younger Jedi that stood in my way. The older, unwise Jedi attempted to save themselves by fighting against me. Like I said, _unwise. _

The screams of each Jedi's fate were barely masked by the blaster fire around me. I continued my walk down the halls, going directly to the Council chamber. _The younglings. _They were so innocent, but they would learn the tainted ways of the Jedi…

They had to pay for the Council's sins…

The door slid open and I saw several little ones hiding behind the Council seats. Once the door hissed to a close, a young human boy walked across the room, coming towards me. "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we doing to do?"

My lips quivered in sadness as I realized that this young boy's life was going to come to an end before it had even begun. I inhaled, lowering my head as I did so. I let go of all the attachment, all of the feeling.

This had to be done. This was for Padme. I needed to do this to save her life.

I moved my hand out of my robe, igniting my azure blade once more. The boy jumped back in fear, several of the others whimpering behind him.

"Master –"

I lurched forward, running him through, quickly moving throughout the room, taking the lives of the other younglings.

This felt so wrong…

Once blood and bodies littered the floor, I took my leave. I would let the clones handle the rest of the Jedi. This had been too much for me. My heart was breaking despite the detachment that I had forced upon myself.

I ran down empty hallways, attempting to feel out Ahsoka, but there was nothing. I couldn't sense her, but then again, my feelings might be clouding my senses. I hoped she had survived… I hoped that if she were within the temple, she had died a heroic and valiant death. She had preached to me how she wasn't going to fall before anyone's blade. She never mentioned several blasters…

My chest tightened at the thought of Ahsoka lying somewhere in the temple. The first time she had died, it was a clean death. There had been no blood left behind, but surely there would be if she were executed here. Part of me wanted to search the temple for her, but I knew how broken I would be if I found her that way.

Despite everything that Palpatine had said, I knew there was good in Ahsoka. She had been my apprentice. She kept _nothing _from me because she couldn't. She trusted me with her life as I trusted her with mine.

Tears streamed my face as I ran through the temple, heading towards the hangar. This time, I couldn't be there to save her. I had let her down, let her pass into the unknown to become one with the Force.

I hopped into my starfighter, knowing that I had other deeds to finish. I held my head in my hands as I cried. I couldn't stop myself before the tears flowed quickly.

I hadn't lied when I told Ahsoka that I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to her. Without her, a part of me had died.

I had killed her. I glanced up to see the temple beginning to burn...

_I failed her._


	16. Chapter 16

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I felt so much pain in the Force as I landed a short distance from the temple. I saw blasters being fired at Jedi in the main entrance and I decided not to engage them at that moment.

I slid into a secret passage and entered the temple. _What was going on?_

My main concern was… where was my Master?

I pulled a door out of the way and glanced out of the small opening in the wall to see bodies of younglings and Padawans littering the floor. I gasped and felt my heart crumbling. They were _dead._ All of them were _dead._

"No," I whispered.

I flew out of the crack in the wall and knelt beside one of my friends from my earlier years as a youngling. I touched her face and felt the coolness of her skin, tears seeping from my eyes. I looked around and saw so many familiar faces.

I stood up and sprinted down several halls until I reached my dorm. The door was ripped out of its hinges and lying across from the actual entrance. The room had been torched.

I frowned as I walked over to my Master's bed. I slid my fingers along the mattress and felt the warmth of the fire still there.

I spun around as I heard boots coming closer to me. I looked around for somewhere to hide without burning myself. Flames were still burning in portions of the room.

I swallowed and shook my head. Master wouldn't want me to _hide. _He would want me to fight until my last breath. I unattached my saber from my belt and held it in my hand, preparing myself for whatever was out there.

Pressing my back against the wall, I listened to the voices that I'd heard so much during this war. "There's no sign of anymore life. Our Lords would be pleased," one whispered.

"I could have sworn I saw the General's Padawan. I don't just see things like that. She's _got _to be in here. You heard our orders. No Jedi are to survive."

I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, activating the saber. I slid around the corner and sliced once, decapitating both men.

They looked the same as they had prior to now and I wondered what had happened in the short time I'd been with Padme. I wanted to know if my Master had survived whatever had happened here.

I darted off further into the temple, searching through the bodies for him. If he hadn't survived, I would be sure to give him the proper burial. I'd _never _leave him in this temple to rot.

Surprisingly, after quite some time, I did _not _find his body.

I sighed in relief. My heart still hurt because so many people had perished in these halls, but at least I had some hope. If he survived, then I would still have someone to cling to. I wouldn't be the last of the Jedi to survive whatever scourge had plagued all of the life in the temple.

I heard more blasters being fired outside of the temple and fear coursed through me. I couldn't stay here any longer. This place was no longer a haven for me. It was more of a prison. If you were serving for the good of the people, you would inevitably die a horrible death here.

I ran towards the library. I knew there was a homing beacon that would tell all outwards Jedi to return home. I _couldn't _allow anyone to come back and witness – or go through – anything like this.

I had to kill several clones as I made my way into the data section of the library. The vault was opened. The vault was accessible only to Knights and Masters, so that meant someone had tried to escape and hide in there. Undoubtedly, they were unsuccessful.

I began to mess with the beacon until it deactivated. I sighed in relief once it was off. I just hoped that no one else would come back.

The death and loss in the Force was killing me and I didn't want to feel it anymore. I found myself wondering about the survivors. _Who _had survived this?

My comlink went off and I was reluctant to connect. I hit the button and waited silently for the other end to begin speaking. "_Ahsoka? Are you there?_"

I sighed in relief. "Master Kenobi. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"_I tried to contact several members of the Council as well as Anakin. No one is answering me. What is going on there?_"

"Master, you'll _never _believe anything I tell you. Just, please, do _not _come back to Coruscant. Everyone is _dead. _I don't know what happened. I just got here not too long ago. There are bodies _everywhere._"

"_I just received a transmission from Senator Organa. He's just informed me of the situation. Ahsoka, I need to return to Coruscant and find out why this happened. Can you, please, keep yourself safe until I arrive?_"

I swallowed slowly. "Are we the only two left?" I whispered.

"_Senator Organa said he's just rescued Master Yoda. Have you heard anything from Anakin? Did you find...?_"

"No. I didn't find him in the temple. I don't know where he's gone." I wanted to tell him how worried I was about my Master, but I didn't want to cause anymore pain should we discover that he'd died at some point. "I'll stay here until you arrive. I disconnected the homing beacon. No one else will come home to this…"

He sighed over the connection. "_I'll be there shortly. You're inside the vault?_"

"Yes, Master."

"_I'll come for you once I arrive._"

"Yes, Master," I repeated.

"_Ahsoka, relax. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Take care of yourself. You know how upset Anakin will be if something happens to you. He'll blame me for it. Besides, I don't want anything to happen to you either._"

I smiled weakly, tears trickling down my cheeks. "I'll be okay, Master," I croaked. "Just watch out. There are clones _everywhere._"

"_We'll watch our backs. Kenobi out._"

I disconnected the link and fell to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I arrived back at Padme's apartment. I landed on the balcony and, moments later, my gorgeous wife came running out from inside.

I opened my arms as she flung herself at me, holding me tightly. The droids were idling by my speeder as I held onto my wife, sighing gratefully that I still had her to come home to.

Her breath had quickened as I rested my hands on her hips. She stroked the sides of my face and my hair. "A-are you all right?" she choked out. Her words were rushed and frantic. "I heard there was an attack on the Jedi temple. You could see the smoke from _here._"

Her hands roamed over my shoulders and arms wildly and she stared at me with fear clearly written on her features. She rested her hands on my forearms and I nodded quickly. "I'm fine," I breathed, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest. "I came to see if you and the baby were safe."

"What's happening?" she whispered, staring into my eyes.

I hesitated and sighed. "The Jedi have tried to overthrow the Republic."

"I _can't _believe that," she said, her eyes widening as she spoke.

"I saw Master Windu attempt to assassinate the Chancellor myself."

She gaped at me for a moment. "Oh, Anakin…" she trailed off. "What are you going to do?"

I stared at her, unsure of how I could explain everything to her right this moment. I stepped away from her and looked down at the cement, shifting uncomfortably. I turned away and heard her breath catch. I took a few more measured steps before stopping and barely looking over my shoulder. "I will _not _betray the Republic." I paused and closed my eyes for a few moments. I opened my eyes and turned to face her once more. "My loyalties lie with the Chancellor. And with the Senate." I stepped closer to her, staring deeply into her eyes. "And with _you._"

"What about Obi-Wan?"

I swallowed. Palpatine told me that _all _Jedi, including Obi-Wan, were now our enemies. "I don't know…" I tore my gaze away from her and attempted to shrug. "Many Jedi have been killed. We can only hope that he's remained loyal to the Chancellor."

I saw her shaking her head slowly from the corner of my eye. I could hear her breath catch again before she whispered, "Anakin, I'm afraid." She sounded like a scared child.

I refocused on her and lifted my hand to stroke her hair, smiling warmly at her. "Have faith, my love," I whispered. "Everything will soon be set right."

I found myself clinging to each word I said to her. I needed to believe my own words in order to make her believe me. "The Chancellor has given me a _very _important mission."

She stared at me for a moment, lowering her eyes briefly. "The Separatists have gathered on the Mustafar system. I'm going there to _end _this war. Wait for me until I return." I watched her nod as I spoke, her eyes never leaving mine. "Things _will _be different. I promise."

I slowly leaned closer to her, resting my hand on her jaw, just below her ear. I rubbed her skin with my thumb as I began to kiss her passionately. I put all of my emotion – the _good _ones – into the kiss.

Once we separated, I stared into her eyes, resting my hand on her neck and shoulder. "_Please, _wait for me."

I turned to leave her and I felt her eyes on my back as I did so. The cockpit of the starfighter opened up and I slowly got into it, regretting everything I'd done and everything I was about to do.

I switched the controls on and the canopy began to close on me. I looked through the canopy, taking in her sad and longing expression.

I loved her so much and I had to remind myself that I was doing all of this for her. Specifically _her._ I'd forgotten to ask about Ahsoka, but I figured that she'd know nothing about her. For all I knew, Ahsoka had been in the temple.

I couldn't feel her in the Force and I'd managed to calm myself somewhat. I needed to be in control with Padme. She was the only person –

I found that statement to be unfit for the situation. Padme and Ahsoka were the _only _two I'd give everything for. Padme, as my wife, and Ahsoka, as my sister. I loved them both and I hoped, after all of this passed, that they would forgive me.

I nodded and began to fly away from her apartment, zooming off into the night sky of Coruscant. I admit, the scenery was beautiful right now, but it didn't lighten my mood one bit.

As I flew out of Coruscant's atmosphere and set my coordinates in for Mustafar, I found myself gazing at the stars, unable to tear my gaze away from them.

"Forgive me, Snips," I whispered, tears falling from my eyes. I laughed, attempting to relax myself as I wiped my tears away.

Despite my best efforts to compose myself, I continued to cry. My mind and body were numb. I closed my eyes and stalled in space, listening to my heartbeat that had no rhythm.

I heard Ahsoka's beautiful laughter and saw her face. I could see everything about her _perfectly. _She stared at me with a cute, little smirk and I couldn't help but smile at the image.

My heart began to mend at the sight of her smile and the light in her blue eyes.

Everything about her…

My eyes snapped open and my worst fears became a reality as I realized everything that I'd missed in the last few months.

**A/N: I am SO sorry for not updating this in quite some time. It took time to remember where I was and how I wanted to go about updating this. Thank you to everyone that messaged me and encouraged me to update this story. I hope the update wasn't as disappointing as it seemed to me. There will be more chapters coming soon, so keep checking back for more!**


	17. Chapter 17

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I sat in the vault for a few hours. I'd had several close calls because patrolling clones had decided to come close. I'd had to kill a few more and it hurt to do it.

All I had for company were the corpses of these men. The weirdest part about it was that these were _my _men. Master and I led the five hundred first battalion and these were _our _men.

I felt the good presences outside of the temple and I realized that Masters Kenobi and Yoda had _finally _arrived. I heaved a sigh of relief and stood up, listening to the sound of my tense muscles cracking.

I held my lightsaber in hand and crept out of the vault carefully and silently.

I could feel the deaths on the outside of the temple and I assumed that the two Masters met up with some of the clones.

"Hold it right there!" a voice called out from behind me.

I spun and activated my saber. "C-Commander?"

"Rex?" I asked, stunned.

He lowered his blaster and removed his helmet, stepping closer to me. "What are you doing here, young one?"

"Rex, our men have turned against us!" I whispered. "What's going on?"

He stared at me in pure shock. "You honestly have no idea what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

"The Jedi threatened the Chancellor and nearly killed him. General Skywalker was able to stop the massacre before it began, at the loss of the Masters, of course."

I gaped at him, feeling my knees preparing to buckle and my heart breaking. "He… he _killed _the Masters?"

"Yes. He's purging the Jedi filth that threaten the democracy of the Republic. Wait, who's side are you on?"

"I was – I was testing you to see how much he told you. I'm always on his side. I'm his apprentice. I'm searching for him right now. Do you know where he's gone? I need to inform him of our progress."

I _needed _to inform him of how _stupid _his actions were. How could he do this? The corpses of the younglings flashed through my mind as I realized that my Master had slaughtered them in cold blood. He was _not _the man I'd looked up to and fallen in love with. "The Chancellor sent him to a planet to attend to the needs of some Separatists. We aren't entirely sure where he's gone. I could com the Chancellor –"

"No. Thank you, Rex. I'll just… remain here for a while. My Master will let me know when he needs me."

He nodded and saluted, replacing his helm. "Watch yourself, kid. The battalion knows not to shoot you, I hope. If they don't, you'll have to inform them of that."

"Certainly," I whispered, swallowing my hatred that was rising towards my Master.

I turned around and began to storm out of the vault, out of the library, out of the _temple._ Tears threatened to fall from my eyes as I crossed several hallways with bodies littering the floors. A horrid, blood scented stench filled the halls and I wanted to kill myself.

I heard blasters as I neared the exit of the temple and I broke into a full sprint. I pulled my saber out into my hands once again and saw the Masters standing before me, lightsabers ignited. "Ahsoka," Obi-Wan breathed. "I'm glad you're all right. I thought I told you to – What's wrong?"

I shook my head and dropped my lightsaber, breaking down. He ran to me and touched my arms in a friendly manner. "What's happened?"

"Y-You'll never believe this," I whispered through my sobs.

I lifted my eyes to his confused face and he began to realize what was going on here. "Let's go inside."

The three of us entered the temple. The two Masters stared at the devastation and sadness washed out of them. Obi-Wan knelt, whispering, "Not even the _younglings _survived."

I glanced down at Master Yoda as he began to speak. "Killed, not by clones, this Padawan. By a _lightsaber_, he was."

Yoda must have realized what was going on as well. He gave me a knowing look and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "_Who?_ Who could have done this?" Obi-Wan asked, his hurt becoming the dominant feeling.

Master Yoda motioned for us to follow him.

They led me to the part of the vault where all of the cameras connected, showing us everything that had happened in the temple up until they had been disconnected.

I chose to stand watch outside of the room. I knew what they would find and I didn't want to witness it myself for fear of losing my undying love and respect for my Master…

I cared about him so much. I _never _expected this kind of thing from him. He was a _great _man. He loved the Jedi and… _children._ He was going to have a child with his wife and he'd slaughtered so many younglings. How could I tell Padme? How could _anyone _tell Padme?

A deep sorrow washed out of the room. It was from none other than Master Kenobi. His relationship with my Master was beyond their former partnership. They loved each other like brothers.

Moments later, the two Masters stepped out of the room. Master Yoda kept looking up at Master Kenobi, whereas the younger Master looked stunned and had no idea where to go from here. He glanced at me and gaped. "Ahsoka –"

"I know what he's done," I whispered. "I don't like it. He _needs _to be stopped before anyone else dies."

It hurt me to say that. None of us would be able to kill him, but we _could _lock him up or something, right? "The Sith Lord we've been looking for, Chancellor Palpatine is. Seek him out, I must."

It didn't shock me that the Chancellor was the Sith Lord. He seemed cruel on occasion and it seemed like he was toying with Master every time he shut me out of the room. I didn't like the fact that he'd twisted my Master's mind so horribly to lead him down this path…

"And what of my Master?"

Master Yoda looked up at Obi-Wan. "Kill him, you must."

"No!" I screamed. "We _can't!_"

"Dangerous, he is, young one. Destroyed, he must be."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

The planet was searing hot as I climbed out of the cockpit of my starfighter. Artoo flew out of his hold and rolled on the landing strip.

I got onto the wing of my fighter and slowly stepped across it until my feet touched the durasteel platform. My robes swept around my body and my body began to sweat because of the intense heat.

I passed Artoo and he beeped behind me. Without turning, I gave him his command. "Artoo, stay with the ship."

I heard him stop wheeling after me and I lifted my hood over my head to conceal my face and give off the Sith appearance.

I walked down a ramp and entered the stronghold that was holding all of the Separatists leaders within it. I could sense everything they felt. Palpatine must have told them that I was on my way and they were very… _reserved _when it came to dealing with Sith.

I walked down several hallways by following their presences. A few droids buzzed in empty rooms while others sent shocks flying towards me because they'd been destroyed. A herd of mouse droids began to roll in front of me, hurrying towards their Masters.

I pulled my lightsaber off of my belt and held it tightly in my mechanical hand as the Separatists came into view. I continued walking towards the room at a normal pace, not wanting to allow them the chance to run away.

"Welcome, Lord Vader," one greeted. "We've been expecting you."

He _expected _me to come protect him. He had no idea what my true intentions were.

Without speaking, I lifted my left hand and began to close the doors around the room. The far left door shut tightly and locked. I slowly moved my hand towards the right and allowed another blast door to fall over the entrance way.

I stared at them in apathy and they at me in fear.

I smiled cruelly, allowing myself to fall into the role of a murderer once more. _This _was different from slaughtering children. These men had it coming after all they'd done in this war.

I activated my azure blade and stepped forward, immediately swinging at the closest Separatist. I began to move without losing momentum from previous battles. I imagined myself fighting alongside Ahsoka and I felt a little better about what I was doing.

Sure, I could hear the screams and pleading escaping their lips, but it mattered little to me. All that mattered right now was that I could see Ahsoka giving me an impressed look after slaughtering two of these monsters in a single swing.

I swung and it looked as if I were attempting to fly. The wave I moved was swiftly and elegantly . Nothing was _overkill _unless you brutally massacred your opponents.

I made my rounds across the room until I was standing across from one of the far panels. I threw my arm out and shoved my blade through the chest of another Neimoidian. The bodies collapsed to the floor as I moved away from them and I felt _satisfied._

After moving my blade away from the previous fallen fool, I swung around and deflected a droid's blaster, slicing through two more Separatists.

I leaned forward and growled in fury as my opponents fell before me.

I continued to slaughter the other half of the room. One stopped in front of me before I swung and screamed, "No!"

I immediately killed him, followed by another droid and another defenseless Neimoidian.

I swung my blade backwards as I neared the doorway once more. My senses were much attuned and I swung my blade over my shoulder and deflected a droid's blast, shattering it.

I held my saber at my side and turned slowly, observing the devastation I'd just caused here as well. My anger burned through me and it didn't seem to matter that all of the people that had been living nearly two minutes ago had all passed on without even trying to defend themselves.

I crossed into another room where a few of the Neimoidians had fled. I found the leader and lurched across the room, landing directly in front of him. He held his hands up in an attempt to protect himself, cowering in fear as I loomed over him.

"The war is _over!_ Lord Sidious promised us peace! The only one –"

I smirked and threw my arm up towards the right, slicing through his chest. He screamed as he fell to the floor beside another dead Neimodian.

I held my right hand up in the air and deactivated my saber as I began to relax my position, breathing heavily.

I stared at the bodies and felt my anger and hatred washing away at a _very _slow pace. I turned away and walked towards the exit as the smell of corpses began to invade my nostrils.

I left the stronghold altogether, heading in a completely different direction.

I found a balcony that overlooked a river of molten lava. I dropped my lightsaber and leaned forward, clutching the bar that denied me my wish of falling forward to burn to death.

I bowed my head and closed my eyes tightly. _Padme._ _Ahsoka._ _Obi-Wan._

They were three of the most important people in my life and I had failed them by choosing this path. Now that I'm looking back on this, I wish I'd done things differently. I wished that I'd been able to warn Ahsoka and Obi-Wan about the slaughter.

_Ahsoka. _I wished I could have told her how I felt about her and that I realized now that my fault had been denying my feelings for _her._

I lifted my flesh hand and examined the wedding ring painfully. I loved two women who meant the galaxy to me. There was only one thing that kept me from making another wrong decision.

One of the two was _dead._


End file.
